Kemp dismisses ‘birther' challenges against Obama
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp on Tuesday said President Barack Obama meets the state's eligibility requirements to be on the ballot in the March presidential primary.
Kemp had referred "birther" challenges to Obama's candidacy to administrative law judge Michael Malihi, who rejected the complaints in a ruling issued Friday.
Malihi dismissed one challenge that contended Obama has a computer-generated Hawaiian birth certificate and fraudulent identification papers. The judge turned back another that claimed the president is ineligible to be a candidate because his father was not a U.S. citizen at the time of Obama's birth.
Malihi said he found the evidence "unsatisfactory" and "insufficient" to support claims that Obama does not have legitimate birth and identification papers. The judge also said he agreed with a 2009 decision by an Indiana court which found that children born in the U.S. are natural-born citizens, regardless of the citizenry of their parents.
Kemp, who oversees elections, said he reviewed Malihi's decision and the evidence presented in the challenges. Obama meets Georgia's eligibility requirements and his name will remain on the presidential preference primary ballot, Kemp said.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
