Federal judge says RFK Jr. will stay on Michigan's presidential ballot
A federal judge in Michigan has rejected Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request to remove his name from the state ballot.
Kennedy turned to federal court after striking out with the Michigan Supreme Court last week. His lawyer argued, among other things, that Kennedy's First Amendment rights were being violated by having his name listed as the Natural Law Party's candidate when he had publicly said he was dropping out and supporting former President Donald Trump.
Kennedy's "interest in unilaterally withdrawing and having his name removed from the ballot is outweighed by the state's interest in maintaining the integrity of the ballot," U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood said.
"If allowed to withdraw, the Natural Law Party will have no candidate on the ticket, no opportunity to replace (Kennedy), and risk losing access to the ballot in the next general election," the judge said.
Michigan election officials said 90% of ballots have already been printed. Creating new ballots in Wayne, the state's largest county, just to erase Kennedy's name would cost $500,000, state attorneys said.
Under federal law, printed ballots must be delivered to city and township clerks by Sept. 21 — 45 days before election day.
"It wouldn't just be a logistical nightmare. It would be that I wouldn't be in compliance with the law, and that's a concern, and that we would be disenfranchising voters because they wouldn't have their ballots at the time that they're supposed to would," said Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown last week.
Read the judge's full ruling below.
