RFK Jr. lawsuit delays mail ballots in North Carolina

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won an appeal over having his name removed from the state's presidential ballot on Friday, delaying the expected mailing of the state's absentee ballots on Friday.

It's unclear if this ruling, which reverses a lower court's denial, will be appealed. But it will at least temporarily delay the distribution of mail ballots.

As a third-party presidential candidate, Kennedy had fought to secure ballot access in North Carolina. But after he dropped out of the race and endorsed former President Donald Trump, he soughtto remove himself as an option for voters, as polling indicates his presence on the ballot could hurt the Republican nominee.

The State Board of Elections ordered election officials not to mail ballots on Friday morning in an email late Friday morning.

"Obviously, this will be a major undertaking for everyone. Our attorneys are reviewing the order and determining how to move forward. No decision has been made on whether this ruling will be appealed," said Paul Cox, general counsel for the state election authority.

Reprinting ballots would be a pricey undertaking that could significantly delay the distribution of mail ballots, thousands of which are supposed to go to overseas and military voters.

On Thursday, a Wake County judge declined to remove Kennedy from the ballot but agreed to a 24-hour pause on mailing ballots so Kennedy could appeal to a higher court. The North Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the Wake County order, continued to pause ballot distribution, and agreed to remove Kennedy's name from the ballot, state election officials said Friday.