Context:

A federal judge has ordered North Carolina to certify the results of a contested Supreme Court election in which Democrat Allison Riggs emerged victorious over Republican Jefferson Griffin by a narrow margin of 734 votes. The judge, Richard Myers, ruled that removing thousands of contested ballots would violate the U.S. Constitution, as these ballots included those from overseas military personnel and voters with familial ties to North Carolina but never lived in the U.S. Griffin had challenged the legitimacy of these ballots, arguing that they were unlawfully cast, but his protests were rejected by the State Board of Elections. Myers emphasized the importance of maintaining the established rules of elections to prevent confusion and protect public confidence in the electoral process. The ruling was delayed for seven days to allow Griffin the opportunity to appeal, but Myers' decision underscores the principle that election laws cannot be retroactively altered to disenfranchise voters selectively.

Dive Deeper:

• Richard Myers, a U.S. District Judge appointed by Donald Trump, ruled against recent state decisions that could have removed thousands of contested ballots, arguing it would breach constitutional rights to due process and equal protection.

• The contested ballots included those from overseas military personnel and a group known as 'Never Residents,' who are U.S. citizens with familial ties to North Carolina but have never lived in the United States.

• Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate, filed formal protests seeking to discard these ballots, suggesting they were unlawfully cast, but his efforts were dismissed by the State Board of Elections.

• Myers' 68-page order highlighted that altering election rules post-election could lead to confusion and undermine public trust in electoral and judicial institutions.

• The ruling mandates the certification of the election results as of December 10, 2024, when Riggs was declared the winner after two recounts.

• Griffin's challenges primarily targeted ballots from six Democratic-leaning counties, and his protests were seen as attempts to retroactively change voting laws to disenfranchise certain voters.

• The judge's order has been delayed for seven days, allowing Griffin to appeal the decision to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, maintaining the integrity of election procedures as a central legal tenet.