Does Nikki Haley qualify as a natural born citizen?

Whether you are happy that Nikki Haley has thrown her hat into the presidential ring or not, the fact is, she is not eligible to be president of the United States. One of the requirements to be president is to be a natural born citizen. A natural born citizen is not just someone who is born in the United States. This person must also have parents who were both citizens of the United States at the time of their birth. Nikki’s parents became citizens but not until after her birth.

While no definition for natural born citizen is provided in the text of the Constitution, the definition was commonly understood as well as provided for in “Vattel’s Law of Nations that was present and used at the Constitutional Convention. The Founding Fathers purposely placed more stringent requirements for president and vice president to make sure there was no foreign allegiance to other nations by the candidate. President and vice president are the only offices that require the candidates to be natural born citizens. Other positions, such as a Senator, require just citizenship but does not require natural born citizenship.

Please consider visiting Doug Gibbs’ Constitution class Tuesdays at 11 a.m. at 911 E. Elder St. in Fallbrook. Come once or as often as you can. It’s important to know our Constitution as it was written.

Judy Willis