The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to remove his name from the state’s presidential ballot in a Friday ruling.
Last week, the Supreme Court accepted Kennedy’s appeal against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which said the independent candidate was to remain on the ballot last month.
Wisconsin’s highest court pointed to a state law that prevents independent candidates who file nomination papers before the Aug. 6 deadline from being removed from the ballot unless they die. The state’s election commission citied the same statue in its August decision.
Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed former President Trump. Since then, Kennedy launched legal efforts to remove his name from ballots in battleground states with the goal to boost support for Trump.
The suits claimed the placement of Kennedy’s name on the ballot would cause harm in some states, such as Wisconsin and North Carolina. The former presidential candidate also sought to keep his name on the ballot in other states, such as New York, for the same reason.
Wisconsin circuit court rulings said Kennedy’s claims about his name remaining on the ballot causing harm were irrelevant as he “should have known” about the state law preventing his removal.
On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to place Kennedy on the New York presidential ballot after lower courts found he falsely claimed residency in the Empire State.
In Friday’s court order, the Wisconsin Supreme Court noted purging Kennedy’s name from state ballots could inflict harm on the public, citing high costs associated with reprinting ballots and logistical problems in conducting an election with ballots on which stickers were placed to obscure Kennedy’s name, as he requested.
Vice President Harris narrowly leads Trump in swing states, including Wisconsin, where she leads 51 percent to the former president’s 48 percent.
