Griffin concedes defeat in NC Supreme Court election

Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs is to be seated next week. Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin on Wednesday conceded.

Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs and Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin are neck-and-neck in their 2024 Supreme Court bids.

Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin on Wednesday conceded defeat to Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, telling the Associated Press in a statement that he wouldn’t appeal an order from U.S. District Court Judge Richard Myers directing the State Board of Elections to certify Riggs’ 734-vote win.

“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,” Griffin told the AP. “I will not appeal the court’s decision.”

Paul Shumaker, a spokesman for Griffin’s campaign, subsequently shared the statement with Anderson Alerts.

Because Myers gave Griffin seven days to appeal, Riggs’ win couldn’t be certified until May 13. According to the State Board of Elections counsel and Chairman Francis De Luca, the certificate of election for Riggs will be issued immediately after the federal court's seven-day stay ends on May 12. Riggs’ certification will happen administratively, so there won’t be a new meeting required from the State Board of Elections.

In a statement, Riggs thanked supporters for her victory.

“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 wrote.

She added, “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.”

The North Carolina Republican Party said in a statement that it remains “concerned about the serious election integrity issues this litigation brought to light” and said Griffin "deserves the appreciation of every North Carolinian" for highlighting issues with the State Board of Elections’ administration of the 2024 election.

Anderson Clayton, chair of the state Democratic Party, called for Griffin to be disbarred (Griffin’s term on the North Carolina Court of Appeals ends in 2028).

Over the past six months, Griffin launched an unprecedented effort to overturn a defeat, including falsely accusing at least 30 North Carolina voters of having never resided in the state.