According to Fox News, U.S. District Judge Richard Myers ordered North Carolina's elections board to certify results showing Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner against Republican Jefferson Griffin by a narrow margin of 734 votes.
The ruling addressed the validity of thousands of contested ballots, including those from overseas military personnel and their families who were not required to provide photo identification copies. Judge Myers, a Trump appointee, determined that removing these votes six months after Election Day would violate constitutional rights regarding due process and equal protection.
Military voters and identification requirements at center of dispute
Griffin's legal team challenged the eligibility of military and overseas voters who did not submit photo identification copies with their absentee ballots despite a state rule exempting them from this requirement. The Republican candidate's protests initially covered more than 65,000 ballots, though subsequent court rulings reduced this number to between 1,675 and 7,000.
Judge Myers emphasized the importance of maintaining consistent election rules, stating that changing regulations after votes have been cast would undermine public confidence. His 68-page order specifically addressed the constitutional implications of retroactively altering voting laws.
The ruling also protected ballots cast by "Never Residents," U.S. citizens with North Carolina family ties who have never lived in the United States but were authorized to vote under state law.
Constitutional rights and election integrity
Judge Myers explained his decision by highlighting the fundamental principle that election rules must be established before voting begins. He emphasized:
You establish the rules before the game. You don't change them after the game is done. Permitting parties to 'upend the set rules' of an election after the election has taken place can only produce 'confusion and turmoil' that 'threatens to undermine public confidence in the federal courts, state agencies, and the elections themselves.
Riggs celebrated the ruling's emphasis on constitutional principles, stating:
Today, we won. I'm proud to continue upholding the Constitution and the rule of law as North Carolina's Supreme Court Justice.
Legal challenges and next steps
The judge's order includes a seven-day delay to allow Griffin's team to appeal to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Griffin's campaign spokesperson, Paul Shumaker, indicated they are evaluating their options following the ruling.
The decision criticized Griffin's selective challenges, which targeted only six Democratic-leaning counties for voter identification issues. This approach, according to Myers, represented an arbitrary attempt to disenfranchise specific groups of voters.
The State Board of Elections must now proceed with certifying the results based on the December 10, 2024 canvassing period tally, disregarding previous state court orders that would have implemented a cure process for affected voters.
Resolution brings clarity to contested election
The hotly contested North Carolina Supreme Court race, which saw more than 5.5 million ballots cast, represented the final undecided contest from the November 2024 elections. Judge Myers' ruling ensures that thousands of military and overseas voters' ballots will remain valid, preserving their constitutional rights while bringing closure to a months-long legal battle.
The decision marks a significant victory for Democrat Allison Riggs, who will take her position on the North Carolina Supreme Court following a race decided by just 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast. The ruling effectively ends Republican Jefferson Griffin's legal attempts to challenge the election outcome through voter identification requirements that would have disproportionately affected military and overseas voters.