Federal Judge Upholds Riggs' Victory, Rejecting Griffin’s Ballot Challenges
U.S. District Judge Myers orders North Carolina to certify Democratic Justice Riggs' win, rejecting GOP efforts to invalidate thousands of votes.
Overview
Federal Judge Richard Myers has ruled in favor of Democratic Justice Allison Riggs, affirming her 734-vote victory while rejecting Republican Jefferson Griffin's attempts to discard ballots. Myers emphasized that altering election rules retroactively would violate voters' constitutional rights, a decision stemming from Griffin's challenge of ballots mainly from overseas military voters. The ruling has been hailed as a victory for election integrity and the equal protection rights of voters. Griffin has a week to appeal, as the Democratic Party looks to solidify its position in North Carolina's Supreme Court.
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Judge Myers cited violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution, emphasizing that retroactively changing ballot rules treated certain voters unfairly[3][4][2].
The ruling ensures Democratic Justice Allison Riggs retains her seat, maintaining the court's current balance. While the story does not specify the precise composition, Democratic retention solidifies their position amidst ongoing political shifts[1][3].
Griffin challenged ballots from overseas military voters and U.S. citizens born abroad, particularly those without post-election photo ID verification as required by later state court rulings[3][4][2].
Myers delayed certification for seven days to allow Griffin time to appeal to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, maintaining procedural fairness[2][4][5].
Anderson Alerts identified voters erroneously flagged as 'never residents,' including those with in-person voting histories, highlighting flaws in Griffin's challenge. Myers referenced this reporting to criticize the ballot disqualification effort[4].
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