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To: nathanbedford

There is an obvious fallacy in describing the failure to demand proof of eligibility from Mr Soetoro Soebarkah as “the will of the people”: that would mean that every so-called “representative” body has the right to ignore any Constitutional provision, because that, allegedly, is “the will of the people”.
And of course, in a literal sense, it isn’t and cannot be. “The people” never choose to have an unconstitutional “President”.

That fallacy, and the interpretation of the law which it implies, has apparently been refuted by Marbury vs. Madison.
It does lead to the possibility of usurpation of legislative power by the judiciary, but in this case, demanding documentary proof of birth circumsnances, or even reaffirming a long-established tradition in the definition of a “natural-born citizen”, is no such usurpation.


199 posted on 08/21/2010 6:57:18 AM PDT by Vincent Jappi (I like cats.)
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To: Vincent Jappi
An interesting irony of Marbury vs. Madison is that Chief Justice Marshall resolutely maintained that his court possessed the power to declare constitutionality or unconstitutionality of laws and actions of the other two branches but, note bene, Marshall also had the circumspection not to actually order Jefferson to do anything because he knew it would not be obeyed-the first instance of judicial review appearing hand in hand with the first incidence of judicial restraint-proving my point precisely.


234 posted on 08/23/2010 3:56:25 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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