>>> Natural Born Citizen is born in the United States
Does that only consist of the 50 states and DC, or are territories and overseas military bases included in that? For example, was John McCain an NBC based on your definition?
The fact that both his parents were citizens abroad serving domestic interests does indeed satisfy the requirement.
An argument can be made that only the father needs to be a citizen, however an equally good argument can be made that both must be American citizens.
It’s academic as BHO fails both tests.
It generally means - that a person is born within the sovreign's realm. Exceptions being those children born abroad of parents who are serving abroad in the sovreign's name ...
Given the ease of travelling these days, however, I think that the Founding Fathers would have relaxed that definition to include children born abroad to any parents [in the sovreign's service or not]. However, the foreign residency could not be permanent AND the parents would have to be US citizens ...
“Does that only consist of the 50 states and DC, or are territories and overseas military bases included in that? For example, was John McCain an NBC based on your definition?”
YOu conveniently left off the part about Natural Born citizen being born TO citizen parents.
so of course people serving our country overseas and who have children there have natural born children.
The kenyan and the commie mother do not qualify
I’ve probably had more heated discussions over that single issue than any other.
I am not an immigration lawyer so I talked with two of them.
John Sydney McCain was born in a public hospital in the city of Colon, Republic of Panama.
The United States leased the Panama Canal Zone from the Republic of Panama. The Canal Zone was NEVER a U.S. territory (unlike Guam and Puerto Rico which are territories).
There are statutes on the books dealing with births to U.S. citizens in Panama, and a child born to U.S. citizens in Panama is considered a citizen-by-statute.
Though the Senator is a citizen, this disqualifies McCain from serving as President, for he IS NOT a Natural Born Citizen. (To change the Article II requirement of the U.S.Constitution requires a Constitutional Amendment approved by Congress and approval by 60% of the States. A statement by Senators giving their dispensation doesn’t change the U.S.Constitution.)
As to citizens born in the territories, I am not sure. A birth in Guam or Puerto Rico means U.S. citizenship, but territories aren’t ‘States’. Puerto Rico has repeatedly rejected statehood in elections, yet they have status as citizens (I believe it may be citizenship-by-statute; I read that somewhere but now cannot find it.) I would find it hard to believe that someone from a territory that has repeatedly rejected statehood would be considered eligible to be President.
Way back in in the 1790s there was a statute(?) that children born overseas to U.S.citizens be considered Natural Born Citizens. It was repealed in 1797. So children born overseas on military bases are citizens but I suspect would not be considered natural born for the purpose of serving as President.
Some may say that isn’t fair, but remember there is no ‘right’ to be President. It is simply a qualification put in place by our Founders to prevent someone with split allegiences from making it into the White House.