The U.S. Supreme Court rejected former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s emergency appeal to withdraw his name from ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin, two battleground states, Tuesday, Oct. 29. Kennedy, who ended his independent campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump, argued that keeping his name on the ballot implied he was still running, infringing on his First Amendment rights.
State officials in Michigan and Wisconsin countered that it was too late to remove Kennedy’s name, as voting was already underway. Michigan reported that more than 1.5 million absentee ballots had been returned, with an additional 264,000 early votes cast. In Wisconsin, more than 858,000 absentee ballots had been returned.
The justices did not explain their decision, as is common on emergency appeals. Justice Neil Gorsuch, however, dissented in the Michigan case, noting concerns over the timing of Kennedy’s initial request.
Previously, Kennedy sought to stay on the ballot in New York but later shifted his approach to request removal in swing states, hoping to consolidate votes for Trump. Michigan and Wisconsin are the final states where his name will appear.
