Ongoing controversy persists over the North Carolina Supreme Court seat, unsolved six months post-election.
Get ready for the final act in North Carolina's 2024 supreme court race—it's down to the wire! With the Democrat, Justice Allison Riggs, holding a slim 700-vote lead, the GOP challenger, Jefferson Griffin, is aiming to swing things in his favor by challenging thousands of ballots in court.
In the bustling world of politics, this fight's been heating up since November 2024. Griffin's team has taken aim at ballots with incomplete registrations, overseas voters lacking photo ID, and nonresident overseas voters[5]. The initial ruling by the State Board of Elections back in December 2024 was to count these ballots, but Griffin wasn't done, escalating the dispute to state and federal courts[5].
Thelegal battle has seen its fair share of twists and turns. In early April 2025, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided to count approximately 60,000 ballots with incomplete registrations, but rejected around 200 ballots from overseas voters who didn't meet residency requirements[3]. A 30-day cure period was granted for around 5,000 military and overseas voters without proper photo ID[3]. But, that decision didn't sit right with Riggs, who plans to seek federal intervention, accusing the court of disenfranchising voters[3][4].
In a surprising turn of events, the case was briefly moved to federal court in December 2024 before being partially remanded back to the state court[5]. Now, with the state Supreme Court's April 11 ruling favoring Griffin in part, Riggs is pleading with federal courts to step in and prevent what she calls 'election subversion'[3][4]. The 4th Circuit Court is currently involved, after the State Board appealed a district court's remand order in January 2025[5].
As the dust settles, legal experts like Rick Hasen are warning that this post-election ballot invalidation effort is without precedent and poses a threat to due process rights[3]. Adding fuel to the fire, the Republican-leaning 5-2 majority on the state court, with Riggs recused, has raised concerns about partisan biases in election disputes[4]. The final verdict hinges on whether federal courts will overrule the state court's interpretation of ballot validity[1][3]. Keep your eyes peeled—this one's far from over!
In light of the ongoing dispute, Carolina's 2024 supreme court race has become a focal point of policy-and-legislation and general news discussions. The GOP challenger, Jefferson Griffin, is challenging thousands of ballots in court, citing issues like incomplete registrations, overseas voters without photo ID, and nonresident overseas voters.
The legal battle, which escalated from the State Board of Elections to state and federal courts, has seen various rulings, with the North Carolina Supreme Court counting approximately 60,000 ballots with incomplete registrations while rejecting around 200 ballots from overseas voters without residency.
Justice Allison Riggs, however, finds these rulings problematic and plans to seek federal intervention, accusing the court of disenfranchising voters. The case has been briefly moved to federal court and remanded back to the state court, with the 4th Circuit Court currently involved.
The post-election ballot invalidation effort raises concerns about due process rights, and the Republican-leaning majority on the state court has sparked debates about partisan biases in election disputes. The final verdict rests on whether federal courts will overrule the state court's interpretation of ballot validity, making this race far from over.
