Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has surged over the last two months in the Republican primary, but with that success has come a new set of problems. After multiple lawsuits were filed against Cruz, a court in Chicago has agreed to hear a case that could end in Cruz being forced off the ballot, as reported by USA Today on Feb. 18.

Cruz case going to court

After Lawrence Joyce of Illinois had an issue with Cruz being placed on the state ballot, he filed a lawsuit challenging his eligibility. Joyce's previous motion was rejected on Feb. 1 by the Illinois Board of Election, but a judge in the Crook County Circuit Court has agreed to hear the testimony this Friday.

"My case presents the perfect opportunity for Donald Trump himself to step forward and bring the matter to court personally," Joyce told the local radio station WBBM radio.

The Texas senator has been challenged in the past due to the fact that he was born in Canada and was given a Canadian citizenship. In the United States Constitution, one requirement to become President of the United States is to be a "natural born citizen." The legal community has been split on what the correct definition of natural born citizen is. Some believe that a person can qualify as natural born if at least one parent is a U.S.

citizen at the time of their birth, while others argue that they must be born within the jurisdiction of the country.

The real "birther" problem

Since catching momentum in late 2015 in the GOP primary, the issue of Cruz's citizenship has only become more of a problem. In addition to Joyce's lawsuit in Illinois, 85-year-old Newton B.

Schwartz Sr from Houston, Texas filed a similar lawsuit against Cruz last month. Just weeks later in Alabama, legal action was taken yet again against Cruz which declares that "Rafael Edward Cruz is ineligible to qualify/run/seek and be elected to the Office of the President of the United States of America." Attorney Thomas Drake is representing the group in Alabama and said that while each plaintiff has different political views, "The only thing they can agree on is Mr. Cruz is not eligible to be president."
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