The North Carolina Supreme Court ordered the former independent presidential candidate’s resignation on Monday Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ahead of state bulletins general election.
The 4-3 ruling upholds an appeals court ruling Friday that required Kennedy’s name to be removed from the ballot. Earlier, a lower court rejected an attempt to impeach Kennedy. This also means that newsletters need to be reprinted.
“We recognize that expediting the process of printing new ballots will require significant time and effort on the part of our election officials and significant cost to the state,” Judge Trey Allen wrote in Monday’s majority opinion. “But that’s the price the North Carolina Constitution expects us to pay to protect voters’ basic rights to vote their consciences and have those votes count.”
Justices Anita Earls, Richard Dietz and Allison Riggs dissented.
Kennedy’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.
The decision is a victory for Kennedy, who was struck down by the Michigan Supreme Court the day before. decided to stay on the ballot in a battleground state after he dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump. Kennedy, who previously fought to get his name on as many state ballots as possible, sought to have his name removed because the vote showed it could hurt Trump’s chances in November if he remains on the ballot.
NBC News there is informed A legal battle over Kennedy’s appearance on the North Carolina ballot has affected the timing of ballot mailings after the state’s board of elections told officials not to begin mailing ballots on Sept. 6 as originally planned.
A spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court ruling or the new timeline for the vote.
Monday’s ruling rejected an attempt to block an appeals court order to remove Kennedy from the ballot, citing the state constitution’s Free Elections Clause to protect the right to vote and accurately count those votes. The majority argued that if Kennedy’s name “appeared on the ballot, it could disenfranchise countless voters who mistakenly believe plaintiff remains a candidate for office.”
A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.