[US Election 2024] "Remove My Name from the Ballot" US Supreme Court Dismisses Kennedy Junior's Lawsuit

On the 29th (local time), the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an emergency lawsuit filed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran as an independent candidate in the presidential race but later withdrew, requesting that his name be removed from the ballots in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right) and former President Donald Trump [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to local reports including NBC News, Kennedy Jr. argued that having his name on the battleground state ballots violated his First Amendment rights, but the claim was not accepted.

The Supreme Court did not provide detailed reasons regarding the decision. However, local media reported that since early voting was already underway in Wisconsin and Michigan, the lawsuit was likely to be dismissed. The Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Michigan Supreme Court also rejected Kennedy Jr.'s claims last month for similar reasons and submitted dismissal opinions to the Supreme Court. According to Wisconsin state law, a candidate can only withdraw in the event of death.

Kennedy Jr. is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, and the son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He submitted his application to run in the Democratic presidential primary last April but shifted to run as an independent candidate in October of the same year. However, in August this year, he declared support for former Republican President Donald Trump and suspended his campaign.

Subsequently, Kennedy Jr. expressed his intention to have his name removed only from the ballots in battleground states that could decide the election outcome, while maintaining his candidacy in other states. In particular, he attempted to keep his name on the ballot in New York, a "blue state" and former President Trump's hometown, but was rejected by the court last month. NBC News noted that a video was released showing that a top priority of Kennedy Jr.'s campaign this year was to prevent the Democratic candidate from winning in New York and other states, and that his aide was dismissed following this revelation.

With Kennedy Jr.'s name remaining on the ballots in the two battleground states, it is uncertain what impact this will have on the presidential election, especially on the votes for former President Trump, whom he has endorsed. His support rate, confirmed in major polls immediately after he announced the suspension of his campaign, was around 5-6%. The Associated Press reported, "Since endorsing Trump, Kennedy Jr. has been trying to remove his name from the ballots in seven battleground states. Wisconsin and Michigan are expected to be the last two states where his name will appear," adding, "The presence of independent and third-party candidates on battleground state ballots can be a key factor in the tight presidential race."