A contentious legal battle over vote disqualification in North Carolina's Supreme Court race reaches a critical turning point as Federal Judge Richard Myers issues a decisive ruling.
According to NC Newsline, Judge Myers rejected Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin's attempt to invalidate more than 60,000 votes, including military and overseas ballots, in his race against Democratic incumbent Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
The ruling comes six months after the 2024 election, where Riggs maintained a narrow 734-vote lead over Griffin through two recounts. Griffin's legal challenge targeted three categories of voters, with the largest group consisting of more than 60,000 individuals who allegedly failed to provide proper identification numbers on their registration applications.
Myers, a Trump appointee, emphasized that retroactively invalidating military and overseas voters' ballots would violate their due process rights. He specifically addressed the state Supreme Court's previous order requiring photo ID submission within 30 days of notification.
The federal judge determined that requiring military and overseas voters from specific Democratic counties to undertake additional steps to validate their votes while not imposing the same requirements on similar voters in other counties constituted a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
Democratic incumbent Justice Riggs welcomed the decision, viewing it as a victory for voter rights and constitutional principles.
Griffin's challenge extended to hundreds of votes from individuals he labeled as "never residents," claiming they had no legitimate connection to North Carolina except through their parents. This practice of counting such votes had occurred for years without dispute.
Investigation by The Assembly revealed that some individuals on Griffin's list actually resided in the state. Despite this finding, Griffin opposed allowing the state Board of Elections to verify residency status before vote disqualification.
Myers ruled that while the state has legitimate interests in limiting voting rights to genuine residents, the risk of disenfranchising legitimate voters through post-election disqualification posed too great a constitutional burden.
The ruling's timing coincides with significant changes in North Carolina's electoral administration. The state Board of Elections recently underwent a transformation in its leadership structure, with state Auditor Dave Boliek appointing a Republican majority under the new legislation.
This change strips Democratic Governor Josh Stein of traditional appointment powers, prompting legal challenges. The previous Democratic majority on the Board had consistently opposed Griffin's vote disqualification efforts.
The complex legal dispute over North Carolina's Supreme Court race centers on Judge Jefferson Griffin's attempts to invalidate more than 60,000 votes in his contest against Justice Allison Riggs. Federal Judge Richard Myers's 68-page ruling firmly rejected these efforts, citing constitutional violations in retroactively changing election rules and selectively targeting specific voter groups.
Myers stayed his order for seven days to allow Griffin time for appeal. The ruling maintains Riggs's 734-vote victory and reinforces the principle that election rules cannot be altered after votes have been cast. This decision arrives as North Carolina's election oversight transitions to Republican control, setting the stage for potential future electoral disputes.
