Robert F. Kennedy's daughter is set to stand trial on charges of driving while impaired after a U.S. judge threw out her request to dismiss the case.

Kerry Kennedy was arrested near her home in Westchester, New York on 13 July (12) after she accidentally drove her Lexus into a tractor trailer.

The former wife of Governor Andrew Cuomo was later charged with driving while impaired after allegedly failing a sobriety test and admitting to taking a sleeping aid, but she pleaded not guilty to the count and claimed she suffered a "partial seizure" behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

Kennedy filed legal papers to have the misdemeanour dismissed, insisting she took the pill by accident instead of her thyroid medication. However, Justice Elyse Lazansky ruled against her on Tuesday (21May13) and sided with the prosecutors.

The 53-year-old niece of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy is due back in court on 8 October (13). Her attorney, Gerald Lefcourt, still insists his client will win her legal battle, telling the New York Post, "(I have) every confidence that Ms. Kennedy will be exonerated."