The Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on the state's ballot this fall, despite his decision to suspend his presidential campaign and endorse Donald Trump.
The court’s majority stated that Kennedy had not provided any legal basis for the removal of his name from the ballot and failed to demonstrate a clear legal right to such an action. Two Republican-nominated justices, David Viviano and Brian Zahra, dissented from the decision, while the court's Democrat-nominated justices hold a 4-3 majority.
In April, the Natural Law Party in Michigan nominated Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, as its presidential candidate. The party’s chairman, Doug Dern, praised Kennedy as the ideal candidate at the time. However, Kennedy later suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump, sparking a legal battle over whether his name should remain on ballots in key battleground states.
Earlier in September, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates ruled that Kennedy could not withdraw from the ballot, stating that the Secretary of State’s office was not obligated to follow “the whims of candidates for public office.” That decision was overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which found that state laws barring ballot withdrawal did not apply to candidates seeking federal office, like the presidency.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, appealed the ruling to the Michigan Supreme Court. Dern, opposing Kennedy’s removal, argued that the Natural Law Party’s survival depended on Kennedy remaining on the ballot, as they need 1% of the vote to maintain automatic ballot access in future elections. Without Kennedy on the ballot, Dern warned the party could be “greatly harmed if not destroyed.”
