A federal judge has ruled that the campaign for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not be allowed to collect ballot signatures at Maine polling places during Tuesday's primary election.
Kennedy's campaign sued Secretary of State Shenna Bellows in February for enforcing the state's restriction on candidates gathering signatures at polling places if the election is for the same office that the candidate is seeking.
The campaign alleged that Bellows violated the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, but U.S. District Judge John Woodcock ruled Monday that Kennedy will still be able to collect signatures during the June primary election and that the state had a compelling interest to protect Tuesday's presidential primary against influencing voters.
Woodcock denied the campaign's request for an injunction.
In Maine, independent candidates for president must collect at least 4,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the general election ballot.
Kennedy is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. But he is best known as the leader of a controversial, national anti-vaccination campaign.
He initially launched a Democratic primary bid against President Joe Biden before withdrawing to run as an independent. Many members of the Kennedy family have distanced themselves from his campaign because of his controversial stances on vaccines and health issues.
He is now scrambling to qualify for the ballot in states across the country.
Kennedy has also filed lawsuits over ballot access in other states, including Utah and Idaho.
