RFK Jr. Seeks Supreme Court’s Help to Get on NY Ballot Despite Suspension

WASHINGTON − Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made a significant move by requesting the Supreme Court to include him on the presidential ballot in New York. This action comes despite his earlier efforts to distance himself from ballots in other states, where his candidacy could potentially sway the election results.

This petition arrives a month after Kennedy announced the suspension of his independent presidential campaign, ultimately endorsing Donald Trump.

In an emergency petition filed on Monday, Kennedy contends that the New York judiciary mishandled his disqualification linked to a debate over his residency. Judge Christina Ryba ruled in August that Kennedy misrepresented his “place of residence” on his nomination papers. Instead of his primary home in California, which he acquired in 2021 following his marriage to actress Cheryl Hines, he claimed a property in Katonah, N.Y., where he merely rents a spare room.

Judge Ryba’s decision, outlined in a 34-page ruling after a brief trial, stated that the New York address listed was not Kennedy’s genuine and legal residence. She described it as a “sham” address, used solely to maintain his voter registration and support his political ambitions within the state.

Kennedy’s legal team has argued to the Supreme Court that Judge Ryba failed to demonstrate that anyone was misled by the address he provided, nor did she identify any state interests that were negatively impacted by its use. They assert that the suspension of his campaign should not factor into the legal dispute, arguing that “a suspended campaign is not a terminated campaign.”

The lawyers emphasized that the decision to suspend his campaign or to only pursue ballots in select states is irrelevant to the legal issues at hand. They noted that the rationale behind such a strategy is a matter for political debate among commentators and experts, rather than a legal concern.

Kennedy’s appeal has faced rejections from both New York’s highest court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York.

The Supreme Court has reached out to the New York State Board of Elections and Attorney General Letitia James, seeking their responses to the petition by Wednesday afternoon.

Despite suspending his campaign, Kennedy has maintained that he intends to remain on the ballot. He has encouraged supporters to vote for him in most states. However, he has expressed a desire to withdraw his name from ballots in pivotal battleground states, where he believes his candidacy could act as a spoiler.

Kennedy expresses concern about inadvertently aiding the Democratic candidates in the election, stating that he does not wish to assist a party with which he holds significant disagreements on key issues such as censorship, warfare, and chronic diseases.

As the situation unfolds, the Supreme Court’s forthcoming decisions regarding Kennedy’s appeal could have substantial implications for his candidacy and the overall election landscape.

Source: USA Today