DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – A federal judge denied a request from former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to have his name removed from Michigan’s Nov. 5 ballot.
U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood issued an 18-page ruling that said Kennedy can’t sue in federal court because his case had already been decided in state court.
Kennedy, who suspended his campaign on Aug. 23 and endorsed former President Donald Trump, sought an injunction against the printing of ballots after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled his name will remain on the ballot.
Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has fought to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot. She argued that Kennedy represented a minor party and that state law had no provision in removing his name from the ballot. Others have argued that Benson is making no secret of her partisanship and that her motivation for keeping Kennedy on the ballot is political since it is likely to pull votes away from Trump.
Evidence presented in the case claimed 90% of Michigan ballots have already been printed and it would cost at least a half million dollars to reprint them without Kennedy’s name.
As of Wednesday morning, the Michigan’s Voter Information Center did not include any ballot information on the Nov. 5 ballot, which is 47 days away.
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.