THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
The Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) has partnered with the U.S. Vote Foundation to file an amicus brief in the case of Jefferson Griffin v. North Carolina State Board of Elections and Allison Riggs. Jefferson Griffin is a judge who ran for the North Carolina Supreme Court in the 2024 elections but narrowly lost, by just 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast, to incumbent Democratic justice Allison Riggs.
An amicus brief is a legal document supplied to a court of law containing advice or information relating to a case, by a lawyer, other individual or group not directly involved in a legal case but having expertise in the subject matter. An AARO spokesperson explained that: "this brief responded to a legal challenge that threatens the voting rights of Americans abroad. The case stems from Jefferson Griffin’s attempt to overturn his loss in the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election by invalidating over 60,000 ballots in four counties, including those from overseas voters. These ballots were submitted in full compliance with federal and state laws. Each of the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Wake County Superior Court dismissed the case and now Judge Griffin has appealed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals".
In the brief, AARO emphasized that judicial approval of Griffin's efforts would create chaos, open the floodgates to post-election litigation, destabilize the framework of laws and rules that enable election administration, and undermine faith and participation in the democratic process. AARO is proud to have been part of this collective effort advocating against this threat to the free and fair elections that form the bedrock of our democracy,
said Doris Speer, President of AARO.
AARO and the U.S. Vote Foundation were represented by the Brennan Center for Justice and local counsel Ballew Puryear.
For further information click on these links:
U.S. Vote Foundation blog post about the amicus brief
The amicus brief in full
