North Carolina's highest court has intervened in the certification of a November election result for one of its own seats to review legal arguments by a trailing candidate who contests over 60,000 ballots that were cast. The state Supreme Court, dominated by Republicans, issued a temporary stay, halting the certification process. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs currently leads GOP challenger Jefferson Griffin by just 734 votes out of over 5.5 million ballots cast.
The ultimate winner of this election will secure an eight-year term on a Supreme Court where five of the seven current justices are registered Republicans. The State Board of Elections had previously dismissed Griffin's protests challenging the ballots, setting a timeline for Riggs' certification this Friday unless a court intervened.
