Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects RFK Jr. Bid to Get His Name Off State Ballot | ZeroHedge

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will remain on the state’s presidential ballot in November even though he has suspended his independent campaign.

In a ruling on Sept. 27, the Supreme Court said Kennedy’s appellate briefs offered no argument that the lower court misinterpreted the law stating a candidate can only be removed from the ballot in the event of their death.

The court also found that Kennedy’s appellate briefs were inadequate for reviewing his claims and the lower court exercise of discretion in denying his request for a temporary injunction—which would have removed his name from the Wisconsin ballot.

The Supreme Court noted that the lower court had concluded that Kennedy did not suffer any irreparable harm since he had voluntarily submitted his nomination papers and declaration of candidacy.

The lower court also said that removing Kennedy’s name from the ballot could inflict harm on the public, citing the high cost of reprinting ballots and logistical problems in conducting an election with ballots on which stickers were placed to obscure his name, according to the ruling.

The Epoch Times reached out to Kennedy’s attorney for comment but has not heard back as of publication time.

In a concurring opinion joined by Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, Justice Rebecca Bradley stated that she did not disagree with the Supreme Court’s finding that Kennedy’s arguments were “insufficiently developed.”

However, Bradley said that the timelines under which the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) and the Supreme Court operate “hamstring candidates in Kennedy’s situation.”

Bradley also raised concerns over the “immense” ramifications of the case, saying that keeping a non-candidate such as Kennedy on the ballot could lead to confusion among voters.

Kennedy withdrew from the presidential race at the end of August, endorsing former President Donald Trump and seeking to have his name removed from the ballot in key battleground states so as not to split the conservative vote.

After the WEC voted to keep Kennedy on the ballot despite his request to be removed, he filed a lawsuit in early September, alleging discrimination.

His attorneys claimed that major-party candidates were subject to a “different playbook” from the one for independent or third-party candidates, who faced a tighter deadline to pull their nominations.

Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke denied Kennedy’s request on Sept. 16, and stated that many county clerks had already sent out ballots for printing with Kennedy’s name included ahead of a looming deadline.

Leave a Reply