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The federal ruling on Monday was the most significant legal victory yet for Justice Allison Riggs, the Democratic incumbent in a State Supreme Court race.
May 5, 2025, 7:52 p.m. ET
A federal judge on Monday ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections to certify the Democratic incumbent’s victory in a State Supreme Court race, rejecting a monthslong effort from the Republican challenger to throw out tens of thousands of votes.
Two recounts confirmed the incumbent, Justice Allison Riggs, winning in November by 734 votes. But the Republican candidate, Judge Jefferson Griffin, has sought to reverse his election loss by calling into question the eligibility of thousands of voters.
On Monday, Chief Judge Richard E. Myers II, a Trump nominee to the United States District Court in Raleigh, rejected those arguments.
“You establish the rules before the game,” Judge Myers wrote in his 68-page ruling. “You don’t change them after the game is done.”
But he gave Judge Griffin, who currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, seven days to appeal. That means that the ruling on Monday may not be the end of the case, which has ping-ponged through state and federal courts and tested the boundaries of post-election litigation.
The race remains the last 2024 race in the nation to be certified.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Eduardo Medina is a Times reporter covering the South. An Alabama native, he is now based in Durham, N.C.
Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville.
