Supreme Court Kills Birther Lawsuit

The Supreme Court put the kibosh on a lawsuit questioning whether Barack Obama was born in the United States today, shooting down the appeal without comment. The suit was brought by Alan Keyes and Wiley Drake, third-party presidential contenders who argued Obama wasn't eligible to compete, the AP reports. A lower court had already thrown out the suit, and the justices refused to revive it.

The court also refused to hear a case from Guantanamo detainees, who say federal courts have ignored the high court's declaration that they are allowed to challenge their detention. In a similar vein, the court shot down a request from former detainee Jose Padilla to reinstate a lawsuit against Donald Rumsfeld, Leon Panetta, and others. Finally, it decided to avoid getting involved in the latest chapter of the New Haven firefighter case, refusing to block a lawsuit from black firefighters against the city. (More New Haven stories.)