President Obama natural born citizen controversy: FL judge holds 'birther' ballot challenge hearing

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A circuit court judge in Tallahassee spent an hour Monday morning listening to arguments over Barack Obama’s birth certificate.

Plaintiff and registered Democrat Michael Voeltz is asking, through his attorney, that the president's name be taken off the ballot because he alleges Barack Obama is not a citizen.

Attorney Larry Klayman says there are serious issues with the president’s citizenship and he wants to take testimony from Hawaiian officials. “There is a lot of evidence here, plus the birth certificate as analyzed . We’ve never seen an original copy. No one has, and experts who have looked at that birth certificate, and they are listed on the affidavits and in the court file, show that that birth certificate was likely forged and altered as well as his social security card and other methods of identification."

Attorneys for the president and the secretary of state asked that the suit be thrown out because Democrats do not have an official nominee and won’t until after their convention in early September.

The judge has given both sides a week to file additional paperwork and proposed orders.