Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win, Am Yisrael Chai
A Republican North Carolina judge who launched an unprecedented effort to overturn his unofficial loss in a state Supreme Court race is dropping his challenge to the results.
Judge Jefferson Griffin will not appeal a federal court’s ruling ordering that the election be certified in his Democratic opponent’s favor, he announced in a statement obtained by CNN. The case had been closely watched for how it laid out a playbook for a losing candidate to try to reverse a defeat with arguments focused on apparent clerical errors and other technicalities, rather than voting fraud.
After two recounts showed Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs had held on to her seat by 734 votes, Griffin sought to throw out tens of thousands of votes, with election protests mostly focused on Democratic-leaning counties. His lawyers never put forward evidence of voter fraud in the election, instead arguing that the rules set out by North Carolina election officials were not lawful. Election experts and voting rights advocates warned that if Griffin was successful, using such tactics would become the norm and that voters would increasingly face the possibility of being disenfranchised at no fault of their own.
In a statement, Justice Riggs, a former voting rights attorney, said that she was “glad the will of the voters was finally heard, six months and two days after Election Day,” but said there had been “immeasurable damage done to our democracy.”
The state election board will issue a certificate of election to Riggs on Tuesday, board spokesman Patrick Gannon told CNN.
news.yahoo.com
Judge Jefferson Griffin will not appeal a federal court’s ruling ordering that the election be certified in his Democratic opponent’s favor, he announced in a statement obtained by CNN. The case had been closely watched for how it laid out a playbook for a losing candidate to try to reverse a defeat with arguments focused on apparent clerical errors and other technicalities, rather than voting fraud.
After two recounts showed Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs had held on to her seat by 734 votes, Griffin sought to throw out tens of thousands of votes, with election protests mostly focused on Democratic-leaning counties. His lawyers never put forward evidence of voter fraud in the election, instead arguing that the rules set out by North Carolina election officials were not lawful. Election experts and voting rights advocates warned that if Griffin was successful, using such tactics would become the norm and that voters would increasingly face the possibility of being disenfranchised at no fault of their own.
In a statement, Justice Riggs, a former voting rights attorney, said that she was “glad the will of the voters was finally heard, six months and two days after Election Day,” but said there had been “immeasurable damage done to our democracy.”
The state election board will issue a certificate of election to Riggs on Tuesday, board spokesman Patrick Gannon told CNN.
GOP candidate drops closely watched challenge in North Carolina Supreme Court election
A Republican North Carolina judge who launched an unprecedented effort to overturn his unofficial loss in a state Supreme Court race is dropping his challenge to the results.