The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will remain on the state’s presidential ballot in November, despite his suspension of his independent campaign. The court stated that Kennedy’s appellate briefs did not provide any argument that the lower court misinterpreted the law regarding candidate removal from the ballot. Additionally, the court found his briefs inadequate for reviewing his claims and the lower court’s denial of a temporary injunction to remove his name from the ballot.
The Supreme Court emphasized that it did not make any legal determinations or agree with the circuit court’s conclusions due to insufficient briefing. The lower court had determined that Kennedy did not suffer irreparable harm since he voluntarily submitted his nomination papers and declaration of candidacy. Removing Kennedy’s name from the ballot would also cause logistical problems and incur high costs for reprinting ballots.
Justice Rebecca Bradley, in a concurring opinion joined by Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, agreed with the finding that Kennedy’s arguments were insufficiently developed but raised concerns about keeping a non-candidate on the ballot. Bradley highlighted potential confusion among voters and skewed election results if ballots listed a non-candidate.
Kennedy withdrew from the presidential race at the end of August, endorsing former President Donald Trump and seeking to have his name removed from battleground states’ ballots to avoid splitting conservative votes. After filing a lawsuit alleging discrimination against him when WEC voted to keep him on the ballot despite his request for removal, Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke denied Kennedy’s request on September 16th due to already printed ballots.
Kennedy’s attorney has not responded to requests for comment at this time.
