Oops! I think I just broke a royal edict.
Oops! I think I just broke a royal edict.
I can see a dystopia novel with this theme ...
“he could be the President of the United States AND the King of England”
No, that’s not right, since “King of England” is a patent of nobility and that would disqualify him from the Presidency. He could be elected President when he had no title, but as soon as someone died and he became next in line for the throne, he would have to decide between accepting the title of “Crown Prince” and giving up the Presidency, or declining the princehood and staying President.
At least that is how it is supposed to work, but if Congress or the courts didn’t enforce it, I guess he could just flaunt the rules and do what he pleases.
With that, you shine a bright light on the contemporaneously recorded and discussed intention of the founders.
It is helpful to recall they had just fought a long, miserable and expensive war with England, costly in both blood and money.
Further, they clearly distinguished between citizen and natural born citizen in the language they used for the Constitution, the latter being used only in regard to the most senior office of the nation, its commander in chief of its military forces.
When they provided that congress would control citizenship, did they also intend that it could control the definition of NBC? It would seem even now ill-advised and highly unlikely.
If there is any perceived ambiguity or uncertainty as to the founder's intention, the issue ought to be resolved consistent with what they were clearly attempting to achieve and not that which might be more convenient today.
Nope. Our law prohibits anyone with a royal title holding office in the U.S.