OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
2:22 PM – Tuesday, August 13, 2024
A judge has ruled that Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not eligible to be on the New York state ballot since he does not meet the legal requirements to be a resident of New York.
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The Independent candidate’s claim of holding a New York-based address as his place of residence on petitions was a “false statement,” according to Judge Christina Ryba.
Consequently, the petitions were deemed to be void. Kennedy promises to file an appeal after rejecting the judge’s decision.
Not only would the ruling prevent Kennedy from running for office in New York, but it would also spark legal disputes in the other states where he resides.
Noting that the judge was a Democrat, Kennedy rejected the decision, calling it a politicized assault.
“They aren’t confident they can win at the ballot box, so they are trying to stop voters from having a choice,” he said. “We will appeal, and we will win.”
Kennedy, 70, asserted in court that he has lived in New York since he was a child and that he planned to go back after his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, retired from acting. He relocated to California in 2014 to be with his wife, and he still currently resides there.
Kennedy argued in court that he has been renting out a bedroom in Katonah, New York, which is about forty miles north of Manhattan.
Barbara Moss, the friend who he is renting the residence from, stated in court that she charges him $500 a month. She also added that the lease was not in writing.
In addition, Kennedy provided proof of his residency by demonstrating that he has a law practice in the state of New York and pays taxes there.
However, in a 34-page decision, Judge Ryba argued that Kennedy’s New York address was the only basis for “political standing” according to “the overwhelming credible evidence introduced at trial.”
“Given the size and appearance of the spare bedroom as shown in the photographs admitted into evidence, the Court finds Kennedy’s testimony that he may return to that bedroom to reside with his wife, family members, multiple pets, and all of his personal belongings to be highly improbable, if not preposterous,” the judge stated.
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