Supreme Court rejects RFK Jr.’s bid to be removed from Michigan, Wisconsin ballots

October 29, 2024 78

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s last-ditch bid Tuesday to remove his name from the presidential ballots in the swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin.

Kennedy, who ended his independent presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in an effort to make sure his name did not inadvertently draw votes from the former president.

Last week, Kennedy issued two separate emergency requests, which argued that forcing his name to remain on the ballot compelled his speech in violation of the First Amendment.

“Moreover, such compelled speech harms every citizen in Michigan,” Kennedy’s attorneys argued in his Michigan request. “The Secretary, by listing Mr. Kennedy on the ballot, is misrepresenting to voters that Mr. Kennedy is qualified and willing to serve the public if elected.”

“Such a representation is not only incorrect, but it is also prejudicial to voters who reasonably expect that the ballot contain accurate information,” according to the application.

Justice Neil Gorsuch recorded the only public dissent in the Michigan decision to side with Kennedy. He did not dissent in the Wisconsin case.

While the Supreme Court did not offer an explanation for its decision, state elections officials had argued that early and absentee voting was already underway and that it was too late to change the ballot.

“This election is not merely ‘imminent,’ it is already underway, and voters are already voting,” Michigan officials told the Supreme Court.

In Michigan, more than 1.5 million ballots have been turned in, with more than 850,000 absentee ballots submitted in Wisconsin.

“The absurdity of this proposal is evident on its face, and Applicant comes nowhere close to showing why it would be appropriate,” the Wisconsin Department of Justice wrote in court filings on behalf of the state’s election commission.

Last month, both the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Michigan Supreme Court ruled against Kennedy.

Kennedy’s lawyers said they have “diligently pursued” efforts to remove his name through the state court system since August, before the ballots were printed.

Last month, Kennedy appealed to the Supreme Court to put his name on the ballot in New York — despite suspending his campaign — in an effort to garner support from voters in less competitive states. That request was also denied.