A ruling from the North Carolina Supreme Court has paused the certification of Democrat Allison Riggs’ victory in a tightly contested race for the state’s highest judicial seat. Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin successfully petitioned for the delay, citing issues with thousands of ballots.
The election has been fraught with controversy. While Griffin initially led, Riggs overtook him by a slim margin of 734 votes following the inclusion of late-counted ballots. Griffin and his legal team dispute 60,000 of those votes, arguing they do not meet the state’s requirements for validity.
Republican leaders have rallied behind Griffin. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley accused the State Board of Elections of mismanaging the process, pointing to inconsistencies and a lack of transparency. Griffin stressed the importance of maintaining trust in the electoral system, stating, “North Carolinians deserve to know their elections are conducted fairly.”
BREAKING: The North Carolina Supreme Court just issued an order blocking the certification of the Supreme Court race where the Republican candidate was overtaken by the Democrat after late ballots arrived.
Republican Jefferson Griffin is challenging the validity of 60,000 votes… pic.twitter.com/EvpohajRFA
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 7, 2025
North Carolina Supreme Court Blocks Elections Board From Certifying Democrat As Winner For High Court Seat https://t.co/QvjSMiAUPJ
— 🌺🌿kam🌿🌺 (@pjkate) January 8, 2025
Legal proceedings have spanned state and federal courts. A federal judge returned the case to North Carolina, but the elections board has appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. That court has not yet issued a decision on the matter.
🚨Certification halted for North Carolina Supreme Court race
Marc Elias👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/byTv0pc11v— Loreyla D'Orazio 🇻🇪🇮🇹🇺🇸 (@Barlofa) January 8, 2025
BREAKING 🚨 After 11 days of Ballots continually being counted in North Carolina, The Democrats have now taken the lead for NC Supreme Court
THIS is what stealing an Election looks like
STOP THE STEAL pic.twitter.com/WqfddXVNyx
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) November 16, 2024
Riggs, a Democrat, removed herself from participating in the Supreme Court’s decision. The court’s Republican majority sided with Griffin, issuing a stay on certification. Justice Anita Earls dissented, arguing that the court’s intervention could erode public trust in elections.
🚨 HUGE DEVELOPMENT: The Supreme Court of North Carolina has just BLOCKED the certification of the Supreme Court election where the Democrat barely won.
This is an EXTRAORDINARILY tight race – the Democrat is ahead by less than 1,000 votes.
Democrat Allison Riggs will no longer… pic.twitter.com/FhhztU09nN
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 7, 2025
BREAKING: The North Carolina Supreme Court just issued an order blocking the certification of the Supreme Court race where the Republican candidate was overtaken by the Democrat after late ballots arrived. Republican Jefferson Griffin is challenging the validity of 60,000 votes https://t.co/Axq9uhHG9K
— vzvz (@xvbvzvz) January 8, 2025
This election battle comes in the wake of a broader debate about voter integrity. Despite President Donald Trump winning North Carolina decisively in 2024, Democrats managed to flip several down-ballot races, fueling Republican concerns.
