On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court rejected the appeal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to have his name removed from the ballots in the states of Wisconsin and Michigan. Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate who withdrew from the race, urged his supporters to vote for the Republican candidate, Trump.
According to reports from Reuters, the US Supreme Court rejected Kennedy’s emergency petition, which sought to instruct the Wisconsin State Election Commission and Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to remove him from the ballots in these two states. Both Michigan and Wisconsin are among the few swing states where the outcome is expected to determine the results of the election between Trump and the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris.
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch dissented from the decision regarding the Michigan ballot issue. None of the other justices publicly dissented.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, had attempted to keep his name on the ballots in some states while withdrawing from others, seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court. In September of this year, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal to have his name restored on the New York State ballot.
In August, Kennedy ceased campaigning and endorsed Trump. He had urged his supporters across the country to vote for Trump while simultaneously seeking to be removed from ballots in some Republican-leaning states.
In the legal battle, Kennedy argued that after he had requested to be removed from the ballots, state officials continued to keep his name on them, which he believed violated the protection of citizens’ freedom of speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
In Wisconsin, the State Elections Commission refused to remove Kennedy from the ballots, citing state law that does not allow candidates to withdraw after being qualified to vote. The Wisconsin Supreme Court in September upheld the initial court’s ruling against Kennedy.
Kennedy proposed that Wisconsin officials “cover his name with a sticker” on the ballots, but the State Elections Commission told the US Supreme Court that “the absurdity of this suggestion is evident.”
In Michigan, Secretary of State Benson denied Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballots, leading him to file a lawsuit in state court. However, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a ruling unfavorable to Kennedy in September.
Subsequently, Kennedy appealed to the federal court, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit supported Benson’s decision on September 27. The appeals court stated in its ruling that the ballots had already been printed and Kennedy had not explained how his request could be met without causing serious harm to voting rights and the public interest.