The lawsuits claim that lines are so skewed for GOP candidates that many Black voters cannot elect their preferred candidates, violating the Voting Rights Act. They allege the mapmakers at times submerged or spread out Black voting blocs, which historically have favored Democrats, into surrounding districts with White majorities — benefiting Republicans.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson has secured a win for North Carolinians frustrated with nonstop spam calls. In response to a lawsuit filed by North Carolina and 7 other states, a court barred John Spiller, owner of several telemarketing agencies, from operating in the telecommunications industry. The court also ordered the prominent robocaller to pay more than $600,000 to offset the costs of the lawsuit to impacted states.
Stein called the legislation a “threat to democracy,” suing to block both sections of the bill. Both suits are pending in state courts, but in the meantime, the North Carolina State Board of Elections is under new Republican leadership.
Although the lengthy court battle is over, many experts and voting rights experts have warned that the Griffin case has potentially set a precedent that will impact future elections.
Griffin’s concession comes after a federal judge ordered North Carolina election officials to confirm the victory of Justice Allison Riggs on the state Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers, appointed to the bench by Trump, ruled that all of the ballots challenged by Judge Jefferson Griffin must count and ordered the State Board of Elections to certify the results that Allison Riggs won.
“I am standing here today as your Supreme Court justice, but also as a daughter, a sister, and a proud North Carolinian who is committed to standing up for our service members and their families, just like they stand up for us,” Justice Riggs told supporters last Monday.
“Changing the rules after the election to throw out the votes of tens of thousands of North Carolinians who followed all of the rules is a travesty. Jefferson Griffin’s neverending legal assault is undermining people’s faith in elections and the courts. He lost and should concede.” Gov. Josh Stein wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The lawsuit was filed in response to the US Department of Health and Human Services announcing it was immediately terminating $11 billion in health care funding across the country, including more than $230 million in funding for North Carolina.
A photo has surfaced of Jefferson Griffin, who is seeking to throw out votes in order to win a seat on the state Supreme Court, wearing a Confederate uniform. According to The Associated Press, which obtained the photograph, Griffin is posing with other fraternity members before a confederate battle flag at its “Old South” ball in 2001.
“Our state has reliable procedures in place to ensure that the vote count is accurate. Those procedures were faithfully followed and confirmed that Jefferson Griffin lost the election,” said Marshall Hurley, former General Counsel for the NC Republican Party, in a press release. “It’s time for Judge Griffin to concede and allow our state to move forward”.