Wisconsin officials ask state Supreme Court to decide if RFK Jr. stays on ballot

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Election officials in Wisconsin asked the state’s liberal-controlled Supreme Court on Thursday to decide whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s name should stay on the presidential ballot before there’s an appellate ruling.

Kennedy has been trying to get his name off ballots in key battleground states since he suspended his campaign in August and endorsed former President Donald Trump. Earlier this month a divided North Carolina Supreme Court removed him from the ballot there while the Michigan Supreme Court kept him on that state’s ballot.

Kennedy filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin on Sept. 3 seeking a court order removing him from the ballot. A Dane County judge refused to oblige, ruling Monday that state law says candidates must remain on the ballot unless they die.

Kennedy has asked the 2nd District Court of Appeals to review that ruling. Attorneys for the Wisconsin Election Commission filed a petition with the state Supreme Court asking the justices to take the case directly without waiting for the 2nd District to rule. They argued that the case needs a timely, final resolution since clerks have already started sending absentee ballots to voters with Kennedy’s name on them. ___

This story was first published on Sep. 19, 2024. It was updated on Sep. 20, 2024 to correct reporting on a North Carolina state Supreme Court decision. The North Carolina state Supreme Court removed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name; it did not keep him on the ballot.