[null and void]

Is Puerto Rico a US territory?
Were both of Serrano’s parents US citizens at the time of his birth?

What’s so hard about that?

[Tex-Con-Man]

Is Puerto Rico a US territory?
Were both of Serrano’s parents US citizens at the time of his birth?

What’s so hard about that?

You'll have to take those questions up with Serrano and the Justices. They are the ones bantering the subject back and forth.

My interest was in clarifying the misimpression that the encounter between Thomas and Serrano was about Obama eligibility. It wasn't.

[Lurking Libertarian]

Is Puerto Rico a US territory?

Technically, a U.S. "commonwealth."

Were both of Serrano’s parents US citizens at the time of his birth? What’s so hard about that?

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens from birth, but they were granted citizenship by statute, not by direct Constitutional grant of citizenship under the 14th Amendment. That is why there is an unresolved question as to whether someone born in Puerto Rico is eligible for the Presidency. Serrano asks Thomas that question every year, and that is why Thomas jokes about "evading" the question.

[Red Steel]

Cong Serrano still wants to know, despite some chuckles, from the Horse's mouths who are the Supreme Court justices if they agree with a report from 10 years ago that says,

"Citizens born in Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are legally defined as “natural born” citizens, and are, therefore, also eligible to be elected President,...."

You can find this dubious statement in the [PDF] CRS Report for Congress ; Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer published in April 17, 2000.

This 2000 report cites another report about the "legal NBC definition" that comes from this 1996 report:

"Congressional Research Service, U.S. Insular Areas and Their Political Development, by Andorra Bruno and Garrine P. Laney, CRS Report 96-578GOV (Washington: Jun. 17, 1996), pp. 9, 21, 33]."

There are no laws that legally defines citizens from Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are natural born citizens, but are opinions from a few lib lawyers that was likely written at the request of liberal Dem Congress critters so they can cite it. These guys appear to be yes men; they tell the Cong members what they like to hear. This is the same Gooberment organ that wrote:

"Qualifications for the Office of President of the United States and Legal Challenges to the Eligibility of a Candidate"

That was written in 2009 by Jack Maskell of the CRS to covered Obama's backside, and the document was for Cong Critters to have handy to tell irate citizens who complain that Obama is not NBC.

And thanks to Mr. BarackPhilly's
(starting at 2:24 min) CSPAN video link to a March 3, 2007 Cong Serrano's House Committee Appropriations hearing. To quote Jose Serrano:

Serrano - "Off the record you've told me, I'm probably not eligible to run for president. It's an on going thing with me...someday I may bring it before you...of someone born in Puerto Rico...."

There is some good natured banter between (Serrano, Thomas and Kennedy) them, but there is an underlying seriousness of the question. He really wants to know, especially when he see that an Usurper has taken the presidential office and when he saw past CRS reports that say he is eligible for president.

Funny that the video picture cuts in and out but the audio is good though.