The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled Monday to remove former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from state ballots before the general election. The 4-3 ruling upholds a previous appellate court decision mandating Kennedy’s removal, reversing an earlier, lower court verdict denying his removal request. Ballots will now need to be reprinted.
The ruling cites the state constitution’s Free Elections Clause to justify removing Kennedy from the ballot, emphasizing the need to prevent voter confusion and potential disenfranchisement. This marks a win for Kennedy after an earlier setback in Michigan, where the state supreme court ruled that he must remain on Michigan ballots, overturning an appeal court decision that he should be removed.
Kennedy dropped out of the race in several swing states and endorsed former President Donald Trump in August, believing his presence on ballots could enable a Kamala Harris win.
“Instead of showing us her substance and character, the DNC and its media organs engineered a surge of popularity for Vice President Harris based on nothing. No policies, no interviews, no debates, only smoke and mirrors and balloons in a highly-produced circus,” Kennedy said of the Democratic candidate.
He blasted his former party’s “resort to censorship, media control, and weaponization of federal agencies,” warning Harris “will be an enthusiastic advocate for this and other neocon military adventures” as President.