Judge asked to rule on McCain birth issue

A judge has been asked to decide whether John McCain is a “natural born” American citizen, a constitutional requirement for the US presidency.

The federal judge in California must determine if the Republican presidential candidate, who was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936, meets the legal test to qualify for the nation’s highest office.

Mr McCain has said there is no question about his eligibility, an assessment echoed by former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who is examining the issue for the campaign. It was also researched for his first presidential bid in 2000.

Questions about Mr McCain’s citizenship are “nonsense,” campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said today in an e-mail.

Mr McCain already has amassed enough delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.