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U.S. High Court Skeptical in Israel Passport Case

(Reuters) James Vicini - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday heard the case of a boy born in Jerusalem to American parents who want his passport to list Israel as his birthplace. A 2002 law included a provision allowing Israel to be listed as the place of birth on the passport of any American citizen born in Jerusalem. While Israel calls Jerusalem its "eternal and indivisible" capital, few other states accept that status including the U.S. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked why Congress would trump the president in foreign affairs. Justice Antonin Scalia said, "You are saying whatever Congress says, the president has to comply with." Chief Justice John Roberts said the president has determined that putting Israel on the passports would create significant problems and questioned if a court can second-guess that judgment. "The court seemed poised to...rule that the statute unconstitutionally infringes on the president's power to recognize, or decline to recognize, that any state exercises sovereignty over Jerusalem," said Columbia Law School Professor Sarah Cleveland. A ruling in the case is expected by the middle of next year.
2011-11-08 00:00:00
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