Trump Appointee Blocks GOP Efforts To Overturn NC Supreme Court Election

A federal judge said disputed ballots in the race for a seat on North Carolina's Supreme Court must remain counted, a ruling that would secure the victory of Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs.

Why It Matters

Riggs' Republican challenger, Jefferson Griffin, started a legal battle after losing the 2024 election, demanding that over 60,000 ballots were thrown out over alleged fraud. Riggs led Griffin by just 734 votes after two recounts in a race that saw over 5.5 million ballots cast.

The ruling is a legal victory for Riggs and could ensure she keeps her seat on the state Supreme Court.

What To Know

U.S. District Judge Richard Myers of the Eastern District of North Carolina, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, issued the ruling, agreeing with Riggs and others who argued it would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution to carry out recent decisions by state appeals courts that directed the removal of potentially thousands of voter ballots they deemed ineligible.

Myers wrote that votes couldn't be removed six months after Election Day without damaging due process or equal protection rights of the affected residents.

The judge also ordered the State Board of Elections to certify results that after two recounts showed Riggs the winner—by just 734 votes—over Republican challenger Griffin.

But the judge delayed his order for seven days in case Griffin wants to appeal the ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The two categories of ballots in dispute are military or overseas voters who didn't provide copies of photo identification or an ID exception form with their absentee ballots, and those cast by overseas voters who have never lived in the U.S. but whose parents were declared North Carolina residents.

What People Are Saying

Justice Riggs said in a statement posted to social media: "Today, we won. I'm proud to continue upholding the Constitution and the rule of law as North Carolina's Supreme Court Justice."

The court ruling said: "The cure process offends equal protection principles because it treats overseas military and civilian voters casting ballots in certain counties differently than others who are identically situated."

"Permitting parties to 'upend the set rules' of an election after the election has taken place can only produce "confusion and turmoil [which] threatens to undermine public confidence in the federal courts, state agencies, and the elections themselves."

The Griffin campaign told a reporter her legal team is "reviewing the order and evaluating next stops."

What Happens Next

The court has ordered North Carolina to finalize the results and gave Griffin seven days to appeal. It remains to be seen whether Griffin will appeal the decision.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.