A Wick County Superior Court judge ruled that Jefferson Griffin threw more than 65,000 votes in the controversial contest to fight for a seat in the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The February 7 ruling is the latest legal setback for Republican Griffin, who is trying to overcome a 734-vote deficit against Democratic opponents, and is now state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
The battle of seats makes it the only uncertain game for the November 2024 election.
Democratic North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs holds 734 votes (more than 5.5 million votes) for Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin after the 2024 election ). In an order of January 7, 2025, the state Supreme Court wrote that as the federal court returned Griffin's appeal to the state level, it would approve Griffin's requirement to certified the election in order to assess 60,000 voting for claims.
Two narratives confirm that Riggs' narrow victory magnitude. Nevertheless, Griffin has not yet admitted it three months after the election. Instead, he turned to the court, where he accused multiple voting violations, such as incomplete voter registration, who claimed to have violated state laws and lost his election.
Griffin filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina Election Commission after he dismissed Griffin's complaint for lack of evidence.
Judge William Pittman supported the state legislature in a February 7 ruling and wrote that its ruling “is not contrary to the constitution and is not subject to legal authority or jurisdiction of the institution, not under legal The procedure was made and not. Affected by other legal errors.”
“Today's decision denies Judge Griffin's challenge to more than 65,000 votes is a victory for North Carolina voters and the rule of law,” Riggs said in a February 7 statement.
“Voters decide on elections and I’m still committed to seeing this struggle and upholding constitutional freedoms in North Carolina,” she said.
Locally, Griffin challenged the votes of more than 2,500 Buncombe County voters. In Henderson County, Griffin challenged over 300.
According to Propublica, Griffin also tried to disqualify more than 5,000 military and overseas votes, the way he voted in the 2019 and 2020 elections. Griffin believes that even if the state legislature ruled before the election, these votes do not include photo identification and these votes should not be counted.
Despite the lower court's ruling, the game is not over yet. Griffin appealed to the North Carolina Court of Appeal on February 12.
But the state legislature and Riggs are seeking a swift ruling to file a “bypass petition” so that the case can go directly to the state Supreme Court, with Republicans 5-2 majority, Riggs withdrawing himself. The 3-3 ruling of the state's high court will mean that Pittman's ruling will be valid.
“We know it will be a long struggle and I am still committed to representing Jefferson Griffin's attempt to deprive voters of voters,” Riggs said in a February 12 statement. “As a Constitutional Official,” , I swear to defend our state and federal constitutions and the rule of law. I will continue to stick to my duties, including any elected official responsible for thwarting the will of voters.”
Organizers held a rally at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville from 12-2 p.m. on February 17 to protest Griffin's attempt to disqualify the ballot. Similar rally is planned in several other North Carolina cities.
More: WNC election officials condemn sharing of misinformation with state lawmakers
More: Election Results: Latest Totals, Map of North Carolina, Asheville Games
Jacob Biba is Helene Recovery Reporter of Asheville Citizen Times of USA Today network. Send him an email via jbiba@citizenimes.com.
This article originally appeared in Asheville Citizen Times: NC Supreme Court Competition: Griffin
