I couldn’t say much
about this - until today.
Here’s what happened:
On my second day as
Attorney General, I
called a meeting to
discuss the state
Supreme Court election
litigation.
As you know, the race
had been called for
Justice Allison Riggs.
Then the other
candidate, Jefferson
Griffin, sued, and a
sprawling legal battle
began.
Our office - NCDOJ - led
the legal defense of the
election. Our client was
the State Board of
Elections, and their
position was clear: the
votes had been tallied
three times, and Riggs
had won.
It was a long meeting.
But by the end, I was
confident we had the
right team in place.
We’ve got some brilliant
attorneys at NCDOJ, and
this team, in
particular, is truly
impressive.
We made a series of
early strategic
decisions in that first
conversation - including
one that I insisted on:
we wouldn’t make any
substantive public
comment until the case
was over.
Close elections are
inherently partisan. And
while public consensus
seemed to grow over time
that this election
battle should end, I
wanted to avoid
inflaming passions or
creating any perception
of bias. It was clear we
had the stronger legal
argument, so I was
comfortable letting the
case speak for itself.
Still, the question kept
coming: “Why isn’t
the AG holding a press
conference about this?”
As the fight went on,
the pressure to respond
publicly increased. But
the goal wasn’t a
soundbite. The goal was
to win in court. The
ideal scenario was one
in which our legal
arguments stayed front
and center - and
everyone stayed focused
on the work.
The case made stops in
just about every court
you can imagine. It
started with the State
Board of Elections, then
moved to state trial
court, then to federal
district court, back to
state court, up to the
Court of Appeals, then
to the state Supreme
Court - and finally back
to federal court, where
- on Monday - a federal
judge (appointed by
President Trump) ordered
the election results to
be certified.
And then, early today,
we were in a meeting
about tackling money
laundering and fentanyl
when someone broke the
news: “Griffin
concedes.”
It was a big moment for
a small team that’s been
carrying this huge case
for months. I can’t tell
you how many hours
they’ve worked - or how
many legal filings
they’ve written,
revised, and argued
along the way.
Now that we’ve won,
here’s what I want to
say:
I’m proud that our
office led the legal
defense of this
election. It was a
serious legal fight to
protect the lawful
ballots of thousands of
voters.
But let’s be clear -
this never should have
happened.
There was no sound legal
basis for trying to
change the rules after
the fact. From the
start, it was an attempt
to twist the law to
reverse the outcome of a
legitimate election.
And it put tens of
thousands of valid votes
at risk - including
ballots from military
servicemembers and
long-time North
Carolinians who followed
the rules and voted
lawfully.
This challenge failed.
But it got more traction
than it ever should
have. That fact alone
will encourage some to
try again.
We’ll be ready. We will
always defend your right
to vote - and the lawful
outcomes of elections.
I’m deeply proud of the
attorneys in my office
who fought to protect
those votes - and won.
Congratulations to
Justice Allison Riggs.
The rule of law held.
The will of the voters
was upheld.
Best,
Jeff
Donate (ActBlue)
Donate (non-ActBlue)
Share
