North Carolina justices block certification of election outcome in race for one of its own seats

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s highest court blocked on Tuesday the certification of a November election result for one of its own seats so it can review legal arguments by a trailing candidate who contends over 60,000 ballots that were cast shouldn’t be counted. Hours later, Griffin’s attorneys asked the state Supreme Court for the temporary stay, which the court granted. The order said that Riggs recused herself from the matter and that Associate Justice Anita Earls, the other Democrat on the court, opposed the stay in part because the “public interest requires that the Court not interfere with the ordinary course of democratic processes as set by statute and the state constitution.” Attorneys for the State Board of Elections and Riggs quickly filed appeals notices for Myers’ decision with the 4th U.S. The state board later Tuesday asked the appeals court to direct Myers to take back the litigation from the state Supreme Court and block its return to the state court while the matter is appealed. Barring intervention by federal appeals judges, the state Supreme Court would essentially be asked to decide the winner for one of its own seats — with the potential of the Republican majority reversing the outcome of the election results.