WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked the Supreme Court to reinstate his name on New York state’s ballot, even though he has ended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Independent presidential candidates Disqualified from voting in New York That ruling was overturned in August after a judge determined that Kennedy’s connection to the New York address “existed only on paper and was maintained solely for the purposes of maintaining his voter registration and political positions in the state.”
A lower court rejected his attempt to challenge the ruling.
In his emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, Kennedy argued that his supporters in the state “have a constitutional right to place him on the ballot and to vote for him, regardless of whether he is campaigning for their vote.”
“The address listed on Mr. Kennedy’s petition was, and remains, completely irrelevant to either his constituents or New York,” the lawyers wrote, arguing that none of Kennedy’s supporters were misled by the address.
The Katonah, New York address belongs to a friend of Kennedy’s, who said Kennedy had been paying $500 a month for the room and board since May. The presidential candidate stayed at the house just one night, according to court filings by the friend and Kennedy.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who is overseeing the emergency appeal, gave New York state election officials until Wednesday afternoon for a response.
Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and said he would remove his name from next year’s ballot. 10 statesKennedy said he believed his candidacy would hurt Trump’s chances of winning the election in those states, which include seven battleground states, and urged voters in those states to continue voting for him, saying his name would remain on the ballot in other states.
But Kennedy has since said his supporters in all states should vote for Trump and has called for his name to be removed from the ballot in more states, not just those with close races.
Kennedy’s name will not appear on the ballot in nearly 20 states, but it will appear in more than 30. According to the latest CBS News tally,.
Kennedy’s request is the latest election dispute to reach the Supreme Court. Recently rejected bids to put Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on the Nevada ballot.
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