ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A judge is expected to rule soon whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed to live in New York as the independent presidential candidate struggles to get on the state ballot in November.
A non-jury trial in Albany over whether Kennedy’s New York nomination petitions should be invalidated ended Thursday without Judge Christina Ryba issuing an immediate ruling. Any decision of the first instance judge must be appealed.
A lawsuit backed by a Democrat-aligned PAC claims that Kennedy’s state nomination petition falsely listed a residence in New York City’s tony northern suburbs, even though he has actually lived in the Los Angeles area since 2014, when he married with “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines.
If Kennedy’s petition were found to be invalid, the New York Board of Elections would remove him from the 2024 ballot, a board spokeswoman said. Being eliminated from the ballot in New York could also lead to lawsuits in other states where his campaign listed the same address.
Kennedy, 70, testified that his move to California a decade ago was only temporary and that he plans to return to New York, where he has lived since he was 10 years old. He told reporters after the trial ended that the people who signed his petitions deserve the chance to vote for him.
“These Americans want to see me at the polls. They want to have a choice,” he said.
Kennedy says he rents a room at a friend’s house in Katonah, about 40 miles north of midtown Manhattan. However, he testified that he only slept in that room once, citing constant campaign trips.
In closing arguments, attorney John Quinn said the evidence clearly shows that Kennedy lives in Los Angeles and that efforts to establish him as a New York resident were “a sham.”
