Trump backers file federal lawsuit questioning Ted Cruz's right to run for president

A group including supporters of Donald Trump filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) should not be eligible to run for president, The Hill reported.

"Mr. Cruz was born in Canada, and obviously Canada is not a territory or protectorate of the United States, it’s not dominion of the United States," said the group's attorney, Thomas Drake. "And as such, when he was born, at the moment of his birth, location determined his status, and his status was that of a natural-born Canadian citizen. You cannot be a natural-born or native-born citizen of two countries."

Cruz was born in Canada, although his mother is American. Last month, Trump said the senator should address the issue in court

The suit was filed in federal court in Alabama on Feb. 3, and cites Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution as the basis for its argument. The plaintiffs were identified as Shannon Duncan, Sebastian Green, Jerry Parker, Kathryn Spears, and Kyle Spears. Drake said several members of the group are backing the real estate mogul's run for the GOP presidential nomination while others are undecided.

On Friday, Trump threatened on Twitter to file his own suit against the Tea Party senator unless he stopped "doing negative ads, as seen below:

Heading into the next Republican candidate debate on Saturday, Trump and Cruz have traded victories in GOP contests, with Cruz winning the Iowa caucuses and Trump winning the New Hampshire primary.