Supreme Court Rejects RFK Ballot-Removal Request

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Facts

  • The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Tuesday ruled that former independent candidate for president Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan, rejecting his claim that the deadline to withdraw is unconstitutional.[1]
  • Kennedy, who dropped his presidential bid in August before endorsing Republican former Pres. Donald Trump, argued his First Amendment rights were being violated because leaving him on the ballot wrongly suggested he still wanted to run for president.[2][1]
  • Michigan and Wisconsin officials argued the electoral process would be thrown into disarray if they had to remove Kennedy because early voting had already begun.[3]
  • SCOTUS issued its decision without explanation, a common practice when dealing with its emergency docket.[4]
  • Previously, Kennedy attempted to have his name added to the ballot in New York. However, SCOTUS also ruled against him in that case.[4]

Sources: [1]USA Today, [2]Associated Press, [3]Daily Caller and [4]CNN.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC and NBC. Kennedy's attempt to help his new ally, Trump, was destined to fail. As a leaked video of one of his campaign workers proved, Kennedy never believed his constitutional rights were being violated; he just wanted to make sure not to siphon votes from the former president. Kennedy's deceit was further proven by his attempt to get on the ballot in New York while trying to be removed elsewhere.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. This is a defeat for election integrity. It doesn't matter if Kennedy is on the ballot in most states; in the battleground states — where the margin of victory could be very narrow — it's dishonest to risk having people who would be inclined to vote for Trump think they could also vote for Kennedy. This could lead to further questions about the legitimacy of the election.

Predictions