Arnold Schwarzenegger was reported as considering challenging the prevailing interpretation of the clause. In 2003, Senator
Orrin Hatch unsuccessfully put forth the
Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment, intending to allow eligibility for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
[38] In October 2013, the
New York Post reported that Schwarzenegger—who is originally from Austria and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1983, also retaining Austrian citizenship—was exploring a future run for the American presidency. He reportedly lobbied legislators about a possible constitutional change, or filing a legal challenge to the provision.
Cornell University law professor
Michael C. Dorf observed that Schwarzenegger's possible lawsuit could ultimately win him the right to run for the office, noting,
"The law is very clear, but it’s not 100 percent clear that the courts would enforce that law rather than leave it to the political process".