Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is a United States citizen and thus eligible to run for president.
A Pittsburgh man was challenging Cruz’s name on the state’s April 26 primary ballot because the Texas senator was born in Canada, and thus, he said, ineligible for the presidency.
But Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Dan Pellegrini rejected Carmon Elliot’s argument this month that Cruz shouldn’t be allowed on the ballot, and the state’s Supreme Court justices upheld Pellegrini’s decision Thursday in a three-sentence order, effectively denying Elliot’s chance to argue his case before them.
According to Elliott, Cruz’s Canadian birth prohibits him from ever becoming president. However, Cruz’s mother was a U.S. citizen, thus making him a “natural born citizen” in the eyes of the law, and eligible to be on the ballot and possibly be elected president. This was also Cruz’s lawyer’s argument, who said Congress or the Electoral College are where challenges such as Elliott’s should be decided.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has called into question Cruz’s eligibility several times. Just last month, Trump threatened to sue the Texas senator over his Canadian birth status.
