NBC Ordered to allow Kucinich in Presidential Debate

NBC Ordered by Judge to Allow Kucinich in Presidential Debate

Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson vowed to issue an injunction halting the nationally televised debate if MSNBC failed to comply with his order.

(CLEVELAND, Ohio) - Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich will meet with reporters here Tuesday morning to make his first public statements following a Nevada court ruling tonight ordering that he be included in tomorrow’s nationally televised NBC/MSNBC debate - or, the court said, the debate would be halted.

Immediately following a planned 7:30 AM news conference at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Kucinich will board a flight for Las Vegas where he will gather with several hundred supporters for a rally before proceeding to the debate location.

Kucinich had originally been invited to participate in the debate because he met one of the publicly announced criteria - ranking fourth or better in a national poll - but a network official advised the campaign Thursday that it was changing those criteria, reversing its decision, and rescinding the invitation to participate.

A formal order is expected Tuesday morning. But, according to published reports, Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson vowed to issue an injunction halting the nationally televised debate if MSNBC failed to comply with his order.

The judge ruled it was a matter of fairness and Nevada voters would benefit from hearing from more than just Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. An official order from the court is expected this morning.