Major Victory for Democracy as a Federal Court Protects Rights of Military, Overseas, and Marginalized Voters Challenged by Jefferson Griffin
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Media Contact: Joselle Torres, 919-908-7930, press@democracync.org
Full statement below from: Black Voters Matter Fund, Common Cause North Carolina, Common Defense, Community Partners Across the South, Democracy North Carolina, El Pueblo, NAACP North Carolina State Conference, NC League of Conservation Voters, NC Climate Justice Collective, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, North Carolina Black Alliance, North Carolina For The People, North Carolina League of Conservation Voters, Pro-Choice North Carolina, Red Wine & Blue, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Tranzmission, Inc
In a major victory for democracy, after more than six months of a protracted, damaging State Supreme Court race and baseless voter challenge scheme, Jefferson Griffin has finally conceded the NC State Supreme Court race to NC Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
For six months, Justice Riggs’ affirmed victory was held hostage while Griffin’s legal team aggressively sought to invalidate thousands of legitimate votes from military service members stationed overseas and citizens whose residency status was challenged. Had an earlier NC Supreme Court ruling stood, it would have created an unjust system forcing voters to re-verify their eligibility after their votes had already been legally cast and counted in accordance with election day rules.
“After six long months of battling unprecedented challenges, we can finally say that the winnerd of the NC Supreme Court race is the candidate voters chose in the first place: Allison Riggs,” said Audrey Meigs, whose vote was among those challenged. “The more than 60,000 voters — and all voters — can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their votes counted.”
Griffin’s concession follows the landmark decision earlier this week reinforcing the constitutional rights of voters across North Carolina and affirming a fundamental principle: voter suppression has no place in our democratic system. Trump-appointed Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers delivered a decisive ruling prohibiting the alteration of election rules after votes have been cast, establishing that such retroactive changes would constitute violations of voters’ equal protection and due process rights under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Myers’ decision reaffirmed a critical legal safeguard against post-election attempts to invalidate ballots that were properly cast and counted and overturn results through retroactive rule changes.
Griffins announced he would not appeal the court’s decision, saying, “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.”
Unfortunately, the NC Supreme Court and Court of Appeals failed in their duty to protect these voters’ rights, leaving citizens to rely on federal intervention for justice rather than finding protection in their state courts. The precedent established here serves to protect future elections against similar fringe legal tactics that might be employed to undermine close electoral outcomes.
“Despite the court’s ruling, the damage to future North Carolina elections has been done”, said Melissa Price Kromm, Executive Director of North Carolina For The People. “The NC Supreme Court and Court of Appeals have issued decisions paving the way for retroactive voter challenges, creating a pathway for future contested elections”.
In his comprehensive 68-page decision, Judge Myers condemned the unprecedented attempt by Griffin and the North Carolina Republican Party to nullify the voices of more than 65,000 voters—many from historically Black, Latine, and Indigenous communities—characterizing such efforts as an unconstitutional infringement on fundamental voter freedoms.
“This case concerns whether the federal Constitution permits a state to alter the rules of an election after the fact and apply those changes retroactively to only a select group of voters, and in so doing treat those voters differently than other similarly situated individuals,” Judge Myers wrote in his powerful defense of voting rights. “This case is also about whether a state may redefine its class of eligible voters but offer no process to those who may have been misclassified as ineligible. To this court, the answer to each of those questions is ‘no.'”
“This race has finally and rightfully been resolved thanks in large part due to the will and determination of countless North Carolinians across the state — we honor them and we thank them,” said Adrienne Kelly, Interim Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina. “But make no mistake, Jefferson Griffin and the court have caused serious damage to our election systems. They have seriously shaken the faith of North Carolina voters, not to mention put at risk the right to vote from young people born overseas to military members, humanitarian and missionary workers. It is up to us and all those who fight for democracy to hold those who would violate the rights of voters accountable. The work continues to protect all North Carolinians, today, tomorrow, and always.”
Signed
- Black Voters Matter Fund
- Common Cause North Carolina
- Common Defense
- Red Wine and Blue – Standing up to Extremism
- Community Partners Across the South
- Democracy North Carolina
- El Pueblo
- NAACP North Carolina State Conference
- NC League of Conservation Voters
- NC Climate Justice Collective
- North Carolina Asian Americans Together
- North Carolina Black Alliance
- North Carolina Council of Churches
- North Carolina For The People
- North Carolina League of Conservation Voters
- Pro-Choice North Carolina
- Southern Coalition for Social Justice
- Tranzmission, Inc.