Gordon Warren Epperly, Alaska Man, Says Obama Is Ineligible To Be President Because Of His Race

A new lawsuit filed by an Alaska man aims to remove President Barack Obama from the state's ballot, arguing that Obama is not a "natural born citizen" because he is African-American.

The complaint, filed last week by Juneau resident Gordon Warren Epperly, reads:

As stated above, for an Individual to be a candidate for the office of president of the United States, the candidate must meet the qualifications set forth in the United States Constitution and one of those qualifications is that the Candidate shall be a "natural born citizen" of the United States. As Barack Hussein Obama II is of the "mulatto" race, his status of citizenship is founded upon the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Before the [purported] ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the race of "Negro" or "mulatto" had no standing to be citizens of the United States under the United States Constitution."

While many have posited that the "birther" movement, whose followers believe that Obama was born in Kenya and is therefore ineligible for the presidency, has racist overtones, this is perhaps the most blatant attempt by a member of the birther fold to remove Obama from office strictly because of his race.

As Clutch Magazine points out, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized" in the U.S., regardless of race, and made it illegal for states to deny citizens of their civil and political rights. Furthermore, the 14th Amendment overturned the much-maligned Dred Scott ruling, which stated that slaves and their descendants were not eligible for citizenship.

This is not Epperly's first eyebrow-raising lawsuit. As Care2 notes, he also protested Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R) re-election in 2010 because of her gender.

"All women and none [sic] white citizens holding public offices of the United States are 'usurpers' of office," he wrote in that complaint.