The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the state’s ballot, effectively ending Kennedy’s quest to have his name removed from the swing state.
This ruling overturns an opinion from the Michigan Court of Appeals from Friday which stated there was no valid reason for Kennedy not to be able to withdraw his name from the ballot. The state’s high court ruling Tuesday marks the end of Kennedy’s challenges in this state.
“[Kennedy] has not shown an entitlement to this extraordinary relief,” the court’s ruling said.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has continuously pointed to a Michigan state law that says minor party presidential candidates cannot withdraw from the ballot, and Kennedy qualified for the ballot after he was nominated by the Natural Law Party. A Michigan judge previously agreed with Benson on Kennedy needing to stay on the ballot.
“Elections are not just games, and the Secretary of State (SOS) is not obligated to honor the whims of candidates for public office,” Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates wrote last week in a four-page opinion.
“Because the Court concludes that the SOS acted well within the bounds of the law, the Court shall deny the requests by plaintiff for (relief),” Yates continued.
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In August, Kennedy ended his bid for president and endorsed former President Donald Trump. He told his supporters in solidly blue or red states to vote for him but vowed he would try to take his name off the ballot in swing states so as to not take away votes from Trump as polling indicated his candidacy was doing.
The Michigan Supreme Court also ruled that independent presidential candidate Cornel West’s name must appear on Michigan’s Nov. 5 presidential ballot, rejecting an appeal from lawyer Mark Brewer, a former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.
