Facing a monumental challenge to get on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to criticize legal efforts to prevent former President Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot in multiple states.
The Colorado Supreme Court on Dec. 19 declared President Trump ineligible in the state based on a provision in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that prevents individuals who have engaged in “insurrection” against the United States from holding office.
Mr. Kennedy, who announced on Oct. 9 that he would run for president in 2024 as an independent instead of as a Democrat because the Democrat National Committee was “rigging the primary,” has expressed his disapproval of the decision several times since.
He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes America look like a Banana Republic. Why doesn’t every American understand that if they can do this to a former US President, EVERYONE is vulnerable to punishment for crimes with which they have never been convicted. Democracy would be a total shambles.”
In another post on the platform, Mr. Kennedy wrote: “If Trump is kept out of office through judicial fiat rather than being defeated in a fair election, his supporters will never accept the result. This country will become ungovernable.”
He reiterated his stance in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“I think we are seeing more and more this sinister and troubling trend of democracy being downgraded. We’re headed to a system where the elites pick our leadership,” Mr. Kennedy said.
“It’s like the old Soviet Union, where party leaders pick the leadership. Federal agencies have been weaponized as political tools against the American public to suppress anyone from running except the chosen leaders.
Filing Appeals
On Dec. 27, the Colorado GOP filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking a review of the Colorado Supreme Court decision.The Colorado Supreme Court stayed its ruling until Jan. 4, 2024, the day before ballots are due to be printed or until an appeal is made to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With the Colorado GOP’s petition and President Trump’s lawyers indicating that they'll appeal, the stay could be extended until the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, Mr. Kennedy’s campaign manager, believes that the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision should be reversed.
“I think that the American people in general are for free and open public discourse and debates and want the very best candidate for the highest office in the land to be chosen based on the policies that they’re proposing and past performance if they’ve held the office before,” Ms. Kennedy told The Epoch Times.
“The establishment is trying to create a labyrinth of obstacles to getting on the ballot if you’re an independent candidate or, in the case of the Colorado ruling, preventing voters from exercising their right based on a decision where there was not even a trial in Colorado in which Trump was a defendant.”
Mr. Kennedy also objected to California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis ordering Secretary of State Shirley Weber last week to explore “every legal option” to remove President Trump from the ballot.
“Someone needs to explain to Lt. Governor Kounalakis that in democracy, we choose candidates by VOTING. Not by legal maneuvers to get them off the ballot,” Mr. Kennedy wrote.
“Kounalakis has close ties to Gavin Newsom (of course), Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi. She isn’t just an individual with an agenda. She is deep in the Democratic party establishment.”
Kennedy Campaign Update
Mr. Kennedy is traveling the country to private fundraising events and voter rallies designed to collect signatures to get him on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.On Jan. 3 in Salt Lake City, he'll announce his ballot status in Utah, the first state where his campaign submitted signatures.
Mr. Kennedy filed a lawsuit against Utah officials on Dec. 4 citing an “unconstitutional early filing deadline” that prevents ballot access for independent presidential candidates.
Days later, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson announced that she would extend the deadline for independent presidential candidates to gain ballot access to March 5, 2024.
The legal action challenged Utah’s Jan. 8 deadline requiring independent presidential candidates to collect and verify 1,000 signatures from qualified voters.
“The current deadline is the earliest deadline ever sought to be imposed on independent presidential candidates in the modern era. No federal court has ever upheld a January deadline,” Mr. Kennedy’s lawsuit argued.
“In a democracy, the people are supposed to decide with their votes who gets into office. Not state officials who prevent popular candidates from getting on the ballot.”
