Republican Jefferson Griffin has ended his legal battle over ballots in the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election, paving the way for his loss to incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs to be certified.
Griffin announced Wednesday he would not appeal a federal district court’s Monday decision, which called for ballots he challenged to be counted and the election results to be certified.
“As a judge, I also often have respectful disagreements with my judicial peers. While I do not fully agree with the District Court’s analysis, I respect the court’s holding — just as I have respected every judicial tribunal that has heard this case. I will not appeal the court’s decision,” Griffin said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
“I am proud of the efforts of our campaign and our legal team. Thank you to all our supporters and those who have showed dignity and respect towards all during this process. My family has given a lot to this campaign. I must thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he added, while also wishing Riggs “the best” and said he “will continue to pray for her.”
Griffin did commend the rulings from the state Supreme Court and state appeals court allowing his dispute of ballots, his campaign claimed, were from voters who failed to present proper identification when registering to vote.
“The courts have affirmed that Voter ID is required for all absentee ballots and that you must be a resident of North Carolina to vote in North Carolina elections. These holdings are very significant for securing our state’s elections,” Griffin said.
The final vote tally, which will be certified by the North Carolina State Board of Elections in the coming days, shows Riggs defeated Griffin by only 734 votes.
Riggs celebrated the end of the legal battle, saying it has been an “honor to lead this fight.”
“After millions of dollars spent, more than 68,000 voters at risk of losing their votes, thousands of volunteers mobilized, hundreds of legal documents filed, and immeasurable damage done to our democracy, I’m glad the will of the voters was finally heard, six months and two days after Election Day,” Riggs said in a statement.
“It’s been my honor to lead this fight — even though it should never have happened — and I’m in awe of the North Carolinians whose courage reminds us all that we can use our voices to hold accountable any politician who seeks to take power out of the hands of the people,” Riggs added.
FEDERAL COURT ORDERS NORTH CAROLINA CERTIFY 2024 SUPREME COURT RACE
With Riggs slated to be certified the winner of the election, the North Carolina Supreme Court will remain at a 5-2 Republican advantage. The race between Riggs and Griffin was the last election nationwide from November 2024, which had yet to be certified.
The next scheduled Supreme Court election in the state will be in November 2026, when Democrat Anita Earls runs for another term.