Johnathan Walker:Case that could keep RFK Jr. off New York’s presidential ballot ends

ALBANY,Johnathan Walker N.Y. (AP) — A judge is expected to decide soon whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed to live in New York as the independent presidential candidate fights to get on the state ballot in November.

A non-jury trial in Albany over whether Kennedy’s New York nominating petitions should be invalidated ended Thursday without Justice Christina Ryba issuing an immediate decision. Any ruling by the trial judge is expected to be appealed.

A voters’ lawsuit backed by a Democrat-aligned PAC claims Kennedy’s state nominating petition falsely listed a residence in New York City’s tony northern suburbs, while he actually has lived in the Los Angeles area since 2014, when he married “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines.

If Kennedy’s petition were to be ruled invalid, the New York Board of Elections would remove him from the 2024 ballot, a spokeswoman for the board said. Getting knocked off the ballot in New York also could lead to lawsuits in other states where his campaign listed the same address.

Kennedy, 70, has testified that his move to California a decade ago was only temporary and that he intends to move back to New York, where he has lived since he was 10 years old. He told reporters after the trial ended that people who signed his petitions deserve a chance to vote for him.

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“Those Americans want to see me on the ballot. They want to have a choice,” he said.

Kennedy says he rents room in a friend’s home in Katonah, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of midtown Manhattan. However, he testified that he has only slept in that room once, citing constant campaign travel.

In closing arguments, attorney John Quinn said evidence clearly shows Kennedy lives in Los Angeles and that efforts to establish him as a New York resident were “a sham.”