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He was probably never all that concerned, but John McCain can breathe a sigh of relief. The Senate Judiciary Committee has cleared him to become president, in the event that he wins the election.

McCain's eligibility came into some question when the New York Times published an article that raised the issue of whether the Arizona senator, who was born in the Panama Canal Zone, is actually a "natural-born" citizen, as the Constitution requires the president to be. The Panama Canal Zone was under U.S. control at the time of McCain's birth in 1936.

CQ reports that the Judiciary Committee's unanimous resolution declaring McCain to be "natural-born" was cosponsored by McCain's presidential rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

As we've previously noted, there are questions surrounding whether or not John McCain – who was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936, when it was a U.S. territory – is legally a "natural-born citizen."

If McCain isn't "natural-born" then he can't be president, according to the Constitution.

The definition of "natural-born" has never been fully fleshed out. Now, the Associated Press reports, "a federal judge in California has been asked to determine if the Republican presidential candidate meets the legal test to qualify for the White House."

McCain and attorney Ted Olson believe the presumptive Republican nominee is in the clear.

"I am confident that the United States Supreme Court, should it ever address the issue, would agree" that McCain qualifies as a natural-born citizen, Olson said in a statement.