Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate in the November 5 presidential election, will not be able to run in New York State because of a false declaration of residency, New York justice announced Tuesday.
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A court in the state capital, Albany, ruled that Kennedy had violated local laws, according to a decision released Tuesday.
The heir to the famous American dynasty, who will appeal the decision, had declared himself to be living in a room rented for $500 a month from friends in New York State.
But Judge Christina Ryba found that Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) was indeed living at home with his wife in California.
As a result, for the November 5 presidential election, in which Mr. Kennedy is running in 19 of the 50 states, the New York electoral commission will not be able to print ballots bearing the illustrious name of the son of former prosecutor Bobby Kennedy, assassinated in 1968, and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, killed in 1963.
Due to a constitutional subtlety and the indirect presidential election system in the United States, the presidential and vice-presidential candidates cannot reside in the same state, at the risk of not being able to win all the votes of the grand electors.
Now, RFK Jr. and his running mate Nicole Shanahan live in California.
Electors directly elect the president and vice president of the United States, and Democratic-leaning California has 54, the largest contingent in the country.
The New York court’s decision — after a lawsuit by voters from the Democratic-affiliated Political Action Committee — could set a precedent in other states against Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Shanahan.
William F. Savino, Mr. Kennedy’s lawyer, told AFP they would appeal the decision.
“The Democrats have a contempt for democracy. They are not sure they can win at the polls, so they try to prevent voters from having a choice,” Mr. Kennedy’s spokeswoman thundered on X.
RFK Jr., 70, presented himself as an alternative candidate in the duel between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
After dropping out of the Democratic primary, he considered joining the Libertarian Party before running as an independent.
This environmental lawyer, rejected by a large part of the Kennedy clan, has almost no chance of victory in November.
Voting intentions in polls have fallen below 10% since President Biden stepped down in favor of his Vice President Kamala Harris.
