Q&A: Federal court temporarily blocks ballot verification process

North Carolina elections officials may not yet start the process to throw out potentially thousands of votes from the 2024 elections, federal judges ordered Tuesday night in a case that could decide who wins a seat on the state Supreme Court.
Posted 4/24/2025, 10:14:10 AM Updated 4/24/2025, 1:00:06 PM

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>> OVERNIGHT, A NEW RULING IN

THE CASE OVER WHETHER THOUSANDS

OF NORTH CAROLINA VOTERS COULD

HAVE THEIR 2024 BALLOTS THROWN

OUT. THE LAWSUIT WILL LIKELY

DECIDE THE WINNER OF A SEAT ON

THE STATE SUPREME COURT.

REPUBLICAN JEFFERSON GRIFFIN

WON A RULING FROM THE SUPREME

COURT EARLIER THIS MONTH.

NOW A FEDERAL COURT HAS STEPPED

IN AND BLOCKED THAT RULING.

WRL STATE GOVERNMENT REPORTER

WILL JORAN JOINS US NOW IN

STUDIO TO BREAK DOWN THIS

LATEST RULING AND WHAT IT MEANS

WILL.

>> RENEE, THIS RULING IS A WIN

FOR ALLISON RIGGS. THE

DEMOCRATIC SUPREME COURT

JUSTICE WHO JEFFERSON GRIFFIN

IS TRYING TO UNSEAT IN DECEMBER

2020 FOR A RECOUNT CONFIRMED

THAT RINGS WAS AHEAD. AND

GRIFFIN FILED ALL OF THESE

BALLOT CHALLENGES. 65,000 OF

THEM. JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO,

THE STATE SUPREME COURT RULED

IN FAVOR OF SOME OF GRIFFIN'S

CHALLENGES AND RIGS APPEALED

THAT RULING TO FEDERAL COURT.

AND LAST NIGHT SHE HAS WON A

TEMPORARY VICTORY. THERE.

RICK SAYS THAT HER FELLOW

JUSTICES ON THE STATE'S HIGHEST

COURT ARE VIOLATING THE

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF NORTH

CAROLINA VOTERS AND NEED TO

BE STOPPED.

>> SO WILL WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

HE REPORTED THAT WHILE THIS

RULING WENT IN HER FAVOR LAST

NIGHT, THIS STILL IS NOT THE

FINAL SAY.

>> YEAH, EXACTLY. THIS IS JUST

A TEMPORARY BLOCK OF THE RULING

TO ALLOW HER TO CONTINUE

FIGHTING IN FEDERAL COURT.

AND THAT MEANS THAT EVENTUALLY

THIS WILL GO ON AND POTENTIALLY

ALL THE WAY UP TO THE U.S.

SUPREME COURT.

>> SO WHAT IS RIGS ARGUING

EXACTLY AND WHAT DOES GRIFFIN

SAY IN RESPONSE?

>> WELL, THE SUPREME COURT

RULING IN GRIFFIN'S FAVOR

CHANGE THE RULES OF THE

ELECTION AFTER THE FACT FOR

OVERSEAS VOTERS AND AT LEAST

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE POTENTIALLY

THOUSANDS COULD HAVE THEIR

BALLOTS THROWN OUT. IF THAT

RULING STANDS. GRIFFIN SAYS

THAT IT'S NECESSARY TO PROTECT

ELECTION INTEGRITY. RIGGS,

HOWEVER, SAYS IT'S

UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO CHANGE THE

RULES AFTER THE FACT,

ESPECIALLY SINCE THOSE RULES

ARE BEING APPLIED TO EVERYONE

EQUALLY. GRIFFIN DID CHALLENGE

ALL THE OVERSEAS VOTERS IN

NORTH CAROLINA IN JUST THOSE

LIVING AND A HANDFUL OF

DEMOCRATIC COUNTIES. HER

ARGUMENTS ABOUT DUE PROCESS AND

EQUAL PROTECTION ALL DEAL WITH

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.

SO IT'S GOING TO BE UP TO

FEDERAL COURTS. HAVE THE FINAL

SAY U.S.?

>> 5 AND A HALF MONTHS AFTER

THAT NOVEMBER ELECTION AND

STILL NO SAY THANKS. WE'LL AND

MUCH MORE ON THESE LEGAL

BATTLES WILL HAVE AN WHAT'S

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