North Carolina’s Supreme Court has paused the certification of Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner of a contentious judicial race. The decision follows Republican Jefferson Griffin’s claim that 60,000 ballots were improperly counted.
Griffin, who trailed Riggs by just 734 votes after a recount, argued that these ballots did not meet the state’s legal standards. The close race has drawn attention to election practices, with Republicans raising concerns about transparency and fairness.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley joined Griffin in filing challenges across the state. Whatley accused the State Board of Elections of failing to uphold proper procedures, stating that their actions had undermined voter confidence.
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 battles over the election have taken place in both state and federal courts. A federal judge recently returned the case to North Carolina, but the elections board has appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has yet to rule.
🚨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
The Supreme Court issued a temporary stay, preventing the certification of Riggs’ victory. Riggs recused herself, leaving the decision to the court’s Republican majority. Justice Anita Earls dissented, warning that such intervention could erode public trust in the electoral process.
🚨 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
The controversy comes against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny over elections in North Carolina. While President Donald Trump won the state by more than 3% in 2024, several close races, including Riggs’, have fueled Republican calls for greater oversight.
