Orly Taitz
Encyclopedia
Orly Taitz is an American dentist, lawyer, former real estate agent, and leading figure in the "birther" movement
, which challenges whether Barack Obama
is a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as President of the United States
. She also promotes a number of other allegations both related and unrelated to Obama, and has initiated a number of lawsuits on behalf of the "birther" movement.
, Moldavian SSR in the Soviet Union (present day Moldova
). Both of her parents were science teachers. In 1981, Orly immigrated to Israel
, where she obtained a dentistry degree at Hebrew University
. In 1987, she met Yosef Taitz who proposed four months later. Orly immigrated to the United States in May 1987, marrying the Latvian-born
Yosef in Las Vegas, Nevada. Taitz became a naturalized United States citizen in 1992. She received her law degree from Taft Law School
and was admitted to practice law in California in December 2002.
Taitz lives in Laguna Niguel, California
and owns dental practices in nearby Mission Viejo
and Rancho Santa Margarita
. She has three sons, holds a second degree black belt
in Taekwondo
, and speaks five languages: English, Hebrew, Romanian, Russian and Spanish.
Before her national news exposure, Taitz was quoted in The Orange County Register
in 2006 supporting Israeli military actions against Hamas
and Hezbollah, and downplaying the impact of the espionage trial of two American Israel Public Affairs Committee
staffers (charges against both were subsequently dropped). Taitz has also said that she lost relatives in the Holocaust
and that her grandmother witnessed the Kishinev pogrom
.
papers and his application to the Illinois bar. "I believe [Obama] is the most dangerous thing one can imagine, in that he represents radical communism and radical Islam: He was born and raised in radical Islam, all of his associations are with radical Islam, and he was groomed in the environment of the dirty Chicago mafia. Can there be anything scarier than that?"
Taitz has made other Obama-related claims, including:
Taitz has also advocated numerous Internet
-related theories, including PayPal
attacks, the deletion of her Wikipedia
entry, and Google
's flagging her webpage as an attack site and suppressing search results for her name.
, suing California's secretary of state for allegedly failing to ascertain Obama's eligibility for president before placing him on the ballot. The case was dismissed on May 4, 2009. A California Court of Appeal affirmed the dismissal on October 25, 2010; the Supreme Court of California
declined, without comment, to review the case on February 2, 2011; and the U.S. Supreme Court declined, without comment, to review the case on October 3, 2011. Taitz was not counsel of record for the appeals.
, other candidates in the 2008 federal elections, several military personnel, and some legislators from various states alleging that Obama is ineligible to be president. On October 29, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter
dismissed the lawsuit. The dismissal criticized Taitz's legal abilities, stated her behavior was "unethical", and suggested that Taitz "may have suborned perjury". The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
heard oral arguments for this case on May 2, 2011.
, who challenged orders implementing his voluntary deployment to Afghanistan
because of his claim that Obama is not a legitimate president. The case was dismissed when the Army Reserve revoked his order to deploy. Taitz filed an appeal in the Eleventh Circuit
, which was dismissed on November 24, 2009, due to a failure to prosecute the appeal.
physician. Rhodes sought a restraining order
to prevent her forthcoming deployment to Iraq. In the request for a restraining order, Taitz argued the deployment order was illegal since Obama was illegally serving as President. On September 16, federal judge Clay D. Land
rejected the motion and denounced it as frivolous. In his opinion, the judge noted that Rhodes had not previously raised any objections to orders she had received from Obama since he had been sworn in. He noted that while she seemed to have "conscientious objections" to taking orders from Obama, she did not seem to object to serving under him "as long as she is permitted to remain on American soil". Land then upbraided Taitz for using military officers as pawns to further her claims that Obama was not qualified to be President. He also expressed astonishment at Taitz's apparent misunderstanding of American judicial fundamentals, saying that she was trying to make Obama prove his innocence' to 'charges' that are based upon conjecture and speculation".
Within hours of Land's decision, Taitz told the news site Talking Points Memo
that she felt Land's refusal to hear her case was an act of treason
. Two days later, she filed a motion to stay Rhodes' deployment pending rehearing of the dismissal order. She repeated her treason allegations against Land and made several other intemperate statements, including claims that Land was aiding and abetting purported aspirations of "dictatorship" by Obama. Land rejected the motion as frivolous and ordered her to show cause
why she should not be fined $10,000 for abuse of judicial process.
A few hours later, a letter bearing Rhodes's signature arrived, stating that Taitz filed the motion without her knowledge or consent, asking Land to remove Taitz as her attorney of record in the case, and stating that it was her "plan to file a complaint with the California State Bar due to [Taitz's] reprehensible and unprofessional actions". On September 26, 2009, Taitz filed a motion with the court seeking to withdraw as counsel for Rhodes, so she could divulge in court "privileged attorney-client communications" since the dismissed Rhodes case "is now a quasi-criminal prosecution of the undersigned attorney, for the purpose of punishment".
On October 13, 2009, Judge Clay Land ordered "Counsel Orly Taitz ... to pay $20,000 to the United States, through the Middle District of Georgia Clerk's Office, within thirty days of the date of this Order as a sanction
for her misconduct in violation of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
." Land's decision stated:
Upon learning of Land's ruling, Taitz said she would appeal the sanction, declaring that Judge Land was "scared to go against the regime" of the "oppressive" Obama administration, and that the sanction was an attempt to "intimidate" her. On March 15, 2010, the Eleventh Circuit
affirmed the sanctions against Taitz, ordering her to pay the $20,000 fine.
In July 2010, Taitz applied to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the enforcement of sanctions, arguing that "allowing sanctions by judge Land to stand, will signify beginning of tyranny in the United States of America and end to the Constitutional Republic which is the foundation of this nation". On July 8, the application was submitted to Associate Justice
Clarence Thomas
; on July 15, he denied it. Doubting that Justice Thomas signed the denial order, Taitz claimed to have requested of Chief Justice
John Roberts
that Thomas's signature be presented to her for verification.
In the meantime, on August 9, the federal government filed an abstract of judgment, a document placing a lien
in the amount of $20,000 plus interest on all her real property, prompting Taitz to say, "I will pay the money, and I will continue fighting," should it happen that her application for stay is ultimately denied and that the Supreme Court consents to her request to authenticate Justice Thomas's signature. On August 16, after being resubmitted to Associate Justice Samuel Alito
, who in turn referred it to the full court, the application for stay was again denied. On January 10, 2011, the Court declined, without comment, to hear the case.
, filed a petition for writ of quo warranto
. On April 14, 2010, U.S. District Court
Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth
dismissed the petition; and, alluding to the novel Don Quixote, he wrote, "The Court is not willing to go tilting at windmills with her."
, alleging the agency improperly refused to disclose to her information about Obama's social security number
. After Taitz repeatedly failed to follow the court rule regarding the redaction of social security numbers in court filings, Chief Judge Lamberth wrote that Taitz "is either toying with the Court or displaying her own stupidity… There is no logical explanation she can provide as to why she is now wasting the Court’s time, as well as the staff’s time, with these improper redactions." On August 30, 2011, the court granted summary judgment in favor of the government, writing "As her numerous filings with the Court demonstrate, plaintiff will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this alleged conspiracy. Unfortunately for plaintiff, today is not her lucky day."
, seeking to review Obama's "long form" birth certificate. On October 12, 2011, the Hawaii Circuit Court
dismissed Taitz's suit.
under FOIA
to grant access to Obama's "long form" birth certificate. On October 17, 2011, Chief Judge Lamberth noted Taitz's "Sisyphean quest" and dismissed the suit.
In response, Taitz wrote to William L. O'Brien
, the Speaker of the House of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and demanded the removal of Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's Secretary of State, for "egregious elections fraud, aiding and abetting fraud, forgery and possibly treason." D.J. Bettencourt
, House Majority Leader of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, wrote to Taitz and called her actions "unbecoming of any legitimate political dialogue, nevermind one as ridiculous as the continued obsession over President Obama's birth place." Bettencourt added, "I have spoken to the Representatives who were present and expressed to them my strong desire that they immediately disassociate themselves from you and this folly."
primary
opponent, former NFL
player Damon Dunn
, claiming that he is pretending to be a Republican. Dunn had registered as a Democrat in the state of Florida in 1999, but that registration had lapsed before he filed for the Republican primary.
On May 12, 2010, Pamela Barnett (named plaintiff from Taitz's lawsuit Barnett v. Obama) filed a lawsuit in the Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that Dunn is not eligible to run for Secretary of State.
Taitz was defeated by Dunn in the June 8 primary by a margin of about three to one, losing by over 900,000 votes.
On June 17, 2010, Taitz filed a lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court contesting the election results, again alleging Dunn's ineligibility. On March 17, 2011, the judge ruled against Taitz. On June 8, 2011, Taitz filed a notice of appeal.
in 2012, stating, "I think I do have a chance specifically because I do speak Spanish and I speak Hebrew." In November 2011, Taitz trailed Feinstein by a nearly 2-1 margin.
, where she claims that "the vast majority" of the population supports her views. She has appeared on the Channel 10 nightly news show London and Kirschenbaum
, was the subject of a feature on Channel 1 TV
, and filmed a video for the website Arutz 7
. Israel's Russian language
media, such as Channel 9
and Vesti
, the country's largest Russian-language newspaper, have also covered Taitz.
and Tamron Hall
on MSNBC
on August 3, 2009. Various media outlets described her appearance on the network as an "implosion", while Taitz asserted that Shuster, who is Jewish, was a "brownshirt", a charge she would repeat in a phone interview the following week.
Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly
called Taitz a "nut". In response, she and pastor James David Manning
organized a protest outside Fox News headquarters in New York City in November, 2009, which drew an estimated 15 to 20 attendees. In 2010, artist Dan Lacey produced a widely discussed painting of a nude Orly Taitz after giving birth to an object resembling a pancake; Taitz herself expressed outrage at the painting, and urged Lacey to reveal the identity of his sponsor. Lacey subsequently jokingly "revealed" that he had been funded by George Soros
.
In April 2011, Lawrence O'Donnell invited Taitz on MSNBC so that she could address Obama's long form birth certificate. When Taitz only wanted to talk about Obama's alleged Selective Service papers and refused to comment on his birth certificate, O'Donnell kicked her off the show, stating: "Look, she's crazy. I invited a crazy person on this show to see if the crazy person...could say something responsive, something human, to the document that was released today...and she wants to play with all of her other kid's toys."
Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories about the citizenship of Barack Obama claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore not eligible to be President of the United States under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution. Some theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not...
, which challenges whether Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
is a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. She also promotes a number of other allegations both related and unrelated to Obama, and has initiated a number of lawsuits on behalf of the "birther" movement.
Early life and emigration
Orly Taitz was born to a Jewish family in ChişinăuChisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
, Moldavian SSR in the Soviet Union (present day Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
). Both of her parents were science teachers. In 1981, Orly immigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, where she obtained a dentistry degree at Hebrew University
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. In 1987, she met Yosef Taitz who proposed four months later. Orly immigrated to the United States in May 1987, marrying the Latvian-born
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
Yosef in Las Vegas, Nevada. Taitz became a naturalized United States citizen in 1992. She received her law degree from Taft Law School
Taft Law School
The Taft Law School is a distance education, online-based law school based in Santa Ana, California. Taft Law School and William Howard Taft University comprise The Taft University System. The State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners has registered Taft Law School as an unaccredited...
and was admitted to practice law in California in December 2002.
Taitz lives in Laguna Niguel, California
Laguna Niguel, California
Laguna Niguel is an affluent city located in southern Orange County, California. The name "Laguna Niguel" is derived from the Spanish word "Laguna" which means lagoon, and the word "Nigueli" which was the name of a Juaneño Indian village that was once located on Aliso Creek. The population was...
and owns dental practices in nearby Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo, California
Mission Viejo is a city located in southern Orange County, California, U.S. in the Saddleback Valley. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States, and is rivaled only by Highlands Ranch, Colorado, in its size...
and Rancho Santa Margarita
Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Rancho Santa Margarita is a city in Orange County, California. One of Orange County's youngest cities, Rancho Santa Margarita is a master planned community set upon rolling hills. Most neighborhoods in Rancho Santa Margarita are within various homeowners associations...
. She has three sons, holds a second degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, and speaks five languages: English, Hebrew, Romanian, Russian and Spanish.
Before her national news exposure, Taitz was quoted in The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
in 2006 supporting Israeli military actions against Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and Hezbollah, and downplaying the impact of the espionage trial of two American Israel Public Affairs Committee
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the United States...
staffers (charges against both were subsequently dropped). Taitz has also said that she lost relatives in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
and that her grandmother witnessed the Kishinev pogrom
Kishinev pogrom
The Kishinev pogrom was an anti-Jewish riot that took place in Chişinău, then the capital of the Bessarabia province of the Russian Empire on April 6-7, 1903.-First pogrom:...
.
Taitz's claims regarding Barack Obama
Taitz alleges that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore ineligible to serve as President. She claims he was born in Kenya and that he falsified his Selective ServiceSelective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
papers and his application to the Illinois bar. "I believe [Obama] is the most dangerous thing one can imagine, in that he represents radical communism and radical Islam: He was born and raised in radical Islam, all of his associations are with radical Islam, and he was groomed in the environment of the dirty Chicago mafia. Can there be anything scarier than that?"
Taitz has made other Obama-related claims, including:
- A number of homosexuals from Obama's former church have died mysteriously.
- Obama has dozens of Social Security numberSocial Security numberIn the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
s, and his passport is inaccurate. Taitz claims that a person who was cooperating with the FBI in connection with Obama's passport died mysteriously, "shot in the head". - A Kenyan birth certificate with the name "Barack Obama" is authentic.
- Obama's first act as President was to donate money to HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, which she claims will be used to build Qassam rocketQassam rocketThe Qassam rocket is a simple steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. Three models have been produced and used between 2001 and 2011....
s. - Obama, or someone connected to him, has made threats to Taitz's life and vandalized her car.
- Obama is having the Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
build internment campInternmentInternment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
s for "Anti-Obama dissidents". - Osama bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
was killed years ago, with his body kept on ice, and the announcement of his deathDeath of Osama bin LadenOsama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
was timed to divert attention from an upcoming court case she is litigating challenging Obama's citizenship.
Taitz's other claims
Taitz has also supported a number of other theories not directly related to Obama, including:- Goldman SachsGoldman SachsThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
runs the United States TreasuryUnited States Department of the TreasuryThe Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
. - Baxter InternationalBaxter InternationalBaxter International Inc. , is an American health care company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat hemophilia, kidney disease, immune disorders and other chronic and acute medical conditions...
has developed a bird flu vaccineVaccineA vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
that kills people. - Representative Alcee HastingsAlcee HastingsAlcee Lamar Hastings is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
and the House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
are planning to build at least six labor campLabor campA labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s. - Hugo ChávezHugo ChávezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
owns the software that runs American voting machines, - FactCheckFactCheckFactCheck.org is a non-partisan, nonprofit website that describes itself as a consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics." It is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University...
is untrustworthy because of its links to the Annenberg FoundationAnnenberg FoundationThe Annenberg Foundation is a private foundation that provides funding and support to non-profit organizations in the United States and around the world...
.
Taitz has also advocated numerous Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-related theories, including PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
attacks, the deletion of her Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
entry, and Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's flagging her webpage as an attack site and suppressing search results for her name.
Keyes v. Bowen
In November 2008, Taitz filed a lawsuit on behalf of independent presidential candidate Alan KeyesAlan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
, suing California's secretary of state for allegedly failing to ascertain Obama's eligibility for president before placing him on the ballot. The case was dismissed on May 4, 2009. A California Court of Appeal affirmed the dismissal on October 25, 2010; the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
declined, without comment, to review the case on February 2, 2011; and the U.S. Supreme Court declined, without comment, to review the case on October 3, 2011. Taitz was not counsel of record for the appeals.
Lightfoot v. Bowen
Taitz filed an emergency petition in the California Supreme Court in 2008 on behalf of Libertarian vice presidential candidate Gail Lightfoot to stop the certification of California's 2008 election results because of the challenge to Obama's eligibility. The California Supreme Court denied the petition, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.Barnett v. Obama
Taitz filed a lawsuit on behalf of Pamela Barnett, Alan KeyesAlan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
, other candidates in the 2008 federal elections, several military personnel, and some legislators from various states alleging that Obama is ineligible to be president. On October 29, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter
David O. Carter
David O. Carter is a United States District Court Judge for the Central District of California.-Biography:...
dismissed the lawsuit. The dismissal criticized Taitz's legal abilities, stated her behavior was "unethical", and suggested that Taitz "may have suborned perjury". The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
heard oral arguments for this case on May 2, 2011.
Cook v. Good
Taitz represented Stefan F. Cook, a Major in the United States Army ReserveUnited States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
, who challenged orders implementing his voluntary deployment to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
because of his claim that Obama is not a legitimate president. The case was dismissed when the Army Reserve revoked his order to deploy. Taitz filed an appeal in the Eleventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Middle District of Alabama...
, which was dismissed on November 24, 2009, due to a failure to prosecute the appeal.
Rhodes v. MacDonald
In September 2009, Taitz was retained by Captain Connie Rhodes, a U.S. ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
physician. Rhodes sought a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
to prevent her forthcoming deployment to Iraq. In the request for a restraining order, Taitz argued the deployment order was illegal since Obama was illegally serving as President. On September 16, federal judge Clay D. Land
Clay D. Land
Clay Daniel Land is a United States federal judge.Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Land received a B.B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1982 and a J.D. from the University of Georgia Law School in 1985. He was in private practice in Columbus, Georgia from 1985 to 2001.On September 21, 2001,...
rejected the motion and denounced it as frivolous. In his opinion, the judge noted that Rhodes had not previously raised any objections to orders she had received from Obama since he had been sworn in. He noted that while she seemed to have "conscientious objections" to taking orders from Obama, she did not seem to object to serving under him "as long as she is permitted to remain on American soil". Land then upbraided Taitz for using military officers as pawns to further her claims that Obama was not qualified to be President. He also expressed astonishment at Taitz's apparent misunderstanding of American judicial fundamentals, saying that she was trying to make Obama prove his innocence' to 'charges' that are based upon conjecture and speculation".
Within hours of Land's decision, Taitz told the news site Talking Points Memo
Talking Points Memo
Talking Points Memo is a web-based political journalism organization created and run by Josh Marshall, journalist and historian covering issues from a "politically left perspective,". It debuted on November 12, 2000...
that she felt Land's refusal to hear her case was an act of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. Two days later, she filed a motion to stay Rhodes' deployment pending rehearing of the dismissal order. She repeated her treason allegations against Land and made several other intemperate statements, including claims that Land was aiding and abetting purported aspirations of "dictatorship" by Obama. Land rejected the motion as frivolous and ordered her to show cause
Order to show cause
An order to show cause, in most Anglo-Saxon law systems, is a type of court order that requires one or more of the parties to a case to justify, explain, or prove something to the court. Courts commonly use orders to show cause when the judge needs more information before deciding whether or not to...
why she should not be fined $10,000 for abuse of judicial process.
A few hours later, a letter bearing Rhodes's signature arrived, stating that Taitz filed the motion without her knowledge or consent, asking Land to remove Taitz as her attorney of record in the case, and stating that it was her "plan to file a complaint with the California State Bar due to [Taitz's] reprehensible and unprofessional actions". On September 26, 2009, Taitz filed a motion with the court seeking to withdraw as counsel for Rhodes, so she could divulge in court "privileged attorney-client communications" since the dismissed Rhodes case "is now a quasi-criminal prosecution of the undersigned attorney, for the purpose of punishment".
Attorney misconduct
On October 13, 2009, Judge Clay Land ordered "Counsel Orly Taitz ... to pay $20,000 to the United States, through the Middle District of Georgia Clerk's Office, within thirty days of the date of this Order as a sanction
Sanctions (law)
Sanctions are penalties or other means of enforcement used to provide incentives for obedience with the law, or with rules and regulations. Criminal sanctions can take the form of serious punishment, such as corporal or capital punishment, incarceration, or severe fines...
for her misconduct in violation of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure govern civil procedure in United States district courts. The FRCP are promulgated by the United States Supreme Court pursuant to the Rules Enabling Act, and then the United States Congress has 7 months to veto the rules promulgated or they become part of the...
." Land's decision stated:
The Court finds that counsel's conduct was willful and not merely negligent. It demonstrates bad faith on her part. As an attorney, she is deemed to have known better. She owed a duty to follow the rules and to respect the Court. Counsel's pattern of conduct conclusively establishes that she did not mistakenly violate a provision of law. She knowingly violated Rule 11. Her response to the Court's show cause order is breathtaking in its arrogance and borders on delusional. She expresses no contrition or regret regarding her misconduct. To the contrary, she continues her baseless attacks on the Court.
Upon learning of Land's ruling, Taitz said she would appeal the sanction, declaring that Judge Land was "scared to go against the regime" of the "oppressive" Obama administration, and that the sanction was an attempt to "intimidate" her. On March 15, 2010, the Eleventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Middle District of Alabama...
affirmed the sanctions against Taitz, ordering her to pay the $20,000 fine.
In July 2010, Taitz applied to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the enforcement of sanctions, arguing that "allowing sanctions by judge Land to stand, will signify beginning of tyranny in the United States of America and end to the Constitutional Republic which is the foundation of this nation". On July 8, the application was submitted to Associate Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
; on July 15, he denied it. Doubting that Justice Thomas signed the denial order, Taitz claimed to have requested of Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
John Roberts
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts, Jr. is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States. He has served since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist...
that Thomas's signature be presented to her for verification.
In the meantime, on August 9, the federal government filed an abstract of judgment, a document placing a lien
Lien
In law, a lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation...
in the amount of $20,000 plus interest on all her real property, prompting Taitz to say, "I will pay the money, and I will continue fighting," should it happen that her application for stay is ultimately denied and that the Supreme Court consents to her request to authenticate Justice Thomas's signature. On August 16, after being resubmitted to Associate Justice Samuel Alito
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006....
, who in turn referred it to the full court, the application for stay was again denied. On January 10, 2011, the Court declined, without comment, to hear the case.
Taitz v. Obama
On January 27, 2010, Taitz, in propria personaPro se legal representation in the United States
Pro se legal representation means advocating on one's own behalf before a court, rather than being represented by a lawyer. This may occur in any court proceeding, whether one is the defendant or plaintiff in civil cases, and when one is a defendant in criminal cases. Pro se is a Latin phrase...
, filed a petition for writ of quo warranto
Quo warranto
Quo warranto is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom it is directed to show what authority they have for exercising some right or power they claim to hold.-History:...
. On April 14, 2010, U.S. District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth
Royce C. Lamberth
Royce C. Lamberth is a federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, serving as its Chief Judge....
dismissed the petition; and, alluding to the novel Don Quixote, he wrote, "The Court is not willing to go tilting at windmills with her."
Taitz v. Astrue
In February 2011, Taitz filed, in propria persona, a Freedom of Information Act suit against the commissioner of the Social Security AdministrationSocial Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
, alleging the agency improperly refused to disclose to her information about Obama's social security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
. After Taitz repeatedly failed to follow the court rule regarding the redaction of social security numbers in court filings, Chief Judge Lamberth wrote that Taitz "is either toying with the Court or displaying her own stupidity… There is no logical explanation she can provide as to why she is now wasting the Court’s time, as well as the staff’s time, with these improper redactions." On August 30, 2011, the court granted summary judgment in favor of the government, writing "As her numerous filings with the Court demonstrate, plaintiff will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this alleged conspiracy. Unfortunately for plaintiff, today is not her lucky day."
Taitz v. Fuddy
In August 2011, Taitz filed, in propria persona, a suit against the director of the Hawaii Department of HealthHawaii Department of Health
The Hawaii Department of Health is a state agency of Hawaii, with its headquarters in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu on the island of Oahu.-External links:*...
, seeking to review Obama's "long form" birth certificate. On October 12, 2011, the Hawaii Circuit Court
Hawaii State Circuit Courts
The Hawaii State Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Hawaii. They are the primary civil and criminal courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The Circuit Courts are the only Hawaii state courts to conduct jury trials...
dismissed Taitz's suit.
Taitz v. Ruemmler
Taitz sought to compel White House Counsel Kathryn RuemmlerKathryn Ruemmler
Kathryn Ruemmler is an attorney who currently serves as White House Counsel to President Barack Obama. She previously worked as Principal Deputy White House Counsel.-Early life and education:...
under FOIA
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
to grant access to Obama's "long form" birth certificate. On October 17, 2011, Chief Judge Lamberth noted Taitz's "Sisyphean quest" and dismissed the suit.
2012 New Hampshire primary challenge
In November 2011, Taitz, backed by four New Hampshire state legislators, filed a complaint with the state's Ballot Law Commission challenging Obama's eligibility to compete in the primary election. As Obama had paid the filing fee and his declaration of candidacy conformed to state law, the Commission unanimously voted to keep Obama on the ballot. The Commission then denied a request for reconsideration.In response, Taitz wrote to William L. O'Brien
William L. O'Brien
William L. O'Brien is a lawyer and legislator from Mont Vernon, New Hampshire who has been a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 2004, representing district Hillsborough-4, and was elected the Speaker of the House in 2011.-Biography:O'Brien obtained his bachelors degree in...
, the Speaker of the House of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and demanded the removal of Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's Secretary of State, for "egregious elections fraud, aiding and abetting fraud, forgery and possibly treason." D.J. Bettencourt
D.J. Bettencourt
David J. "D.J." Bettencourt is and legislator from Salem, New Hampshire who has been a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 2004, representing district Rockingham-4, and was elected the House Majority Leader in 2011.-Legislative career:First elected as a NH state...
, House Majority Leader of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, wrote to Taitz and called her actions "unbecoming of any legitimate political dialogue, nevermind one as ridiculous as the continued obsession over President Obama's birth place." Bettencourt added, "I have spoken to the Representatives who were present and expressed to them my strong desire that they immediately disassociate themselves from you and this folly."
California Secretary of State, 2010 Republican primary
In March 2010, Taitz successfully qualified to run for the office of California Secretary of State. At the same time, she unsuccessfully challenged the eligibility of her Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
opponent, former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player Damon Dunn
Damon Dunn
Damon Jerrel Dunn is a former American football player and Republican Party candidate for California Secretary of State in the 2010 election.- Early life :...
, claiming that he is pretending to be a Republican. Dunn had registered as a Democrat in the state of Florida in 1999, but that registration had lapsed before he filed for the Republican primary.
On May 12, 2010, Pamela Barnett (named plaintiff from Taitz's lawsuit Barnett v. Obama) filed a lawsuit in the Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that Dunn is not eligible to run for Secretary of State.
Taitz was defeated by Dunn in the June 8 primary by a margin of about three to one, losing by over 900,000 votes.
On June 17, 2010, Taitz filed a lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court contesting the election results, again alleging Dunn's ineligibility. On March 17, 2011, the judge ruled against Taitz. On June 8, 2011, Taitz filed a notice of appeal.
U.S. Senator from California, 2012 nonpartisan blanket primary
Taitz is considering challenging U.S. Senator Dianne FeinsteinDianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
in 2012, stating, "I think I do have a chance specifically because I do speak Spanish and I speak Hebrew." In November 2011, Taitz trailed Feinstein by a nearly 2-1 margin.
Activities in Israel
Taitz has also actively promoted her theories in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, where she claims that "the vast majority" of the population supports her views. She has appeared on the Channel 10 nightly news show London and Kirschenbaum
London at Kirschenbaum
London et Kirshenbaum is an Israeli current affairs news show on Israeli Channel 10. It is hosted by two veterans Israeli journalists, Yaron London and Moti Kirschenbaum.-Overview:...
, was the subject of a feature on Channel 1 TV
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
, and filmed a video for the website Arutz 7
Arutz Sheva
Arutz Sheva is an Israeli media network identifying with Religious Zionism. It offers online news in English, Hebrew, French, Spanish and Russian. Arutz Sheva offers free podcasts, live streaming radio, a daily email news update, streaming video and 24 hour updated text news...
. Israel's Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
media, such as Channel 9
Israel Plus
Israel Plus is a television station in Israel. It primarily broadcasts in the Russian language, with or without Hebrew subtitles, but also broadcasts some shows in Hebrew with Russian subtitles....
and Vesti
Vesti (newspaper)
Vesti is an Israeli Russian-language daily newspaper. Based in Tel Aviv, the paper is Israel's most widely read Russian-language paper and its only remaining daily paper in Russian. The paper was started in 1992 by Yedioth Ahronoth Group, which remains its owner. It was very widely read in the...
, the country's largest Russian-language newspaper, have also covered Taitz.
In the media
Taitz received media attention in connection with Obama eligibility questions in late 2008. She was interviewed by co-hosts David ShusterDavid Shuster
David Martin Shuster is an American television journalist who has been an anchor for MSNBC and who has also worked for Fox News and CNN. He anchored MSNBC Live weekdays from 10-11am and 3-4pm ET and filled in for Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow on their respective shows...
and Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall is a day-side anchor for MSNBC and host of the program NewsNation with Tamron Hall.-Early career:...
on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
on August 3, 2009. Various media outlets described her appearance on the network as an "implosion", while Taitz asserted that Shuster, who is Jewish, was a "brownshirt", a charge she would repeat in a phone interview the following week.
Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
called Taitz a "nut". In response, she and pastor James David Manning
James David Manning
James David Manning is chief pastor at the ATLAH World Missionary Church on 123rd Street in New York City. Manning grew up in Red Springs, North Carolina, born to an African American family, and has been at ATLAH since 1981. ATLAH stands for All The Land Anointed Holy, which is Manning's name...
organized a protest outside Fox News headquarters in New York City in November, 2009, which drew an estimated 15 to 20 attendees. In 2010, artist Dan Lacey produced a widely discussed painting of a nude Orly Taitz after giving birth to an object resembling a pancake; Taitz herself expressed outrage at the painting, and urged Lacey to reveal the identity of his sponsor. Lacey subsequently jokingly "revealed" that he had been funded by George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
.
In April 2011, Lawrence O'Donnell invited Taitz on MSNBC so that she could address Obama's long form birth certificate. When Taitz only wanted to talk about Obama's alleged Selective Service papers and refused to comment on his birth certificate, O'Donnell kicked her off the show, stating: "Look, she's crazy. I invited a crazy person on this show to see if the crazy person...could say something responsive, something human, to the document that was released today...and she wants to play with all of her other kid's toys."
See also
- Andy MartinAndy Martin (U.S. politician)Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona, usually known as Andy Martin is an American perennial candidate for political office and recurrent litigant....
- Philip J. BergPhilip J. BergPhilip J. Berg is an American activist attorney who brought a RICO lawsuit charging president George W. Bush and 154 others with complicity in the 9/11 attacks, and another suit challenging the eligibility of Barack Obama to become President of the United States.-Activism:Berg has involved himself...
- Barack Obama religion conspiracy theoriesBarack Obama religion conspiracy theoriesBarack Obama religion conspiracy theories—allegations that he secretly follows a non-Christian religion, or that he is the antichrist—have been suggested ever since Barack Obama began his campaign to become President of the United States in 2007...