The North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday in a 5-1 vote blocked the state from certifying Democrat incumbent justice Allison Riggs as the winner of the race as her GOP opponent, Jefferson Griffin, challenges the election.
As previously reported, North Carolina’s Supreme Court race headed for a recount due to a close final tally as the Democrat pulled ahead two weeks after Election Day.
Democrat incumbent Sarah Riggs closed the race with 2,770,818 votes to GOP challenger Jefferson Griffin’s 2,770,193 votes.
The race went to a recount since the vote difference is fewer than 10,000 votes.
Republican Griffin was leading the race until all of a sudden Democrat Riggs overcame her opponent weeks after the election.
President Trump won North Carolina by more than 3 percent over Kamala Harris in the 2024 election but somehow the Democrats took many down ballot races.
The Democrat incumbent is now ahead by 600 votes after late votes came in for the North Carolina Supreme Court seat.
Jefferson Griffin is challenging 60,000 ballots that should not have been counted, The Carolina Journal reported.
“As North Carolinians, we cherish our democratic process. Protecting election integrity is not just an option — it’s our duty,” Griffin said in a North Carolina GOP news release. “These protests are about one fundamental principle: ensuring every legal vote is counted.”
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley joined Jefferson Griffin in filing hundreds of protests over the 60,000 ballots.
“The RNC and NCGOP have joined Jefferson Griffin in filing hundreds of protests over 60,000 ballots that should not have been counted in the NC Supreme Court race. Our attorneys are on the ground in-state,” Michael Whatley said.
“The NC State Board of Elections failed to administer this election fairly. They have been inconsistent, uncooperative, and non-transparent throughout this process — but we will fight them every step of the way,” Whatley said.
This case has been bouncing around between state and federal courts.
Earlier this week a federal judge sent the case back to North Carolina. The State Board of Elections appealed the decision to a federal appeals court. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has not issued a ruling yet.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Supreme Court granted Jefferson Griffin’s request and issued a temporary stay blocking the certification of the election.
The Raleigh News & Observer reported:
The North Carolina Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday blocking the state from certifying a winner in the race for a seat on the high court.
Granting the request of Republican Jefferson Griffin, who trails his opponent, Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, by 734 votes, the court’s Republican majority issued a temporary stay that will prevent the State Board of Elections from certifying Riggs as the winner.
Anita Earls, the only other Democrat on the court alongside Riggs, dissented, writing that “the public interest requires that the court not interfere with the ordinary course of democratic processes as set by statute and the state constitution.”
Riggs recused herself from the case.
The post JUST IN: North Carolina Supreme Court Blocks State From Certifying Democrat Incumbent Justice Riggs as Winner of Election as GOP Challenges Shady Ballots appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.