Riggs officially sworn in for new term on NC Supreme Court

Justice Allison Riggs was officially seated for her eight-year term in an investiture ceremony held Wednesday at the North Carolina Supreme Court.  

Chief Justice Paul Newby officiated the event and welcomed Justice Riggs back to her seat on the bench.

On her social media, Riggs said, “It is my honor to serve the people of North Carolina, and I am committed to defending the rule of law and upholding the constitution with the utmost independence and integrity. I am so grateful for all of the people who made my investiture as an Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court possible.”

It is my honor to serve the people of North Carolina, and I am committed to defending the rule of law and upholding the constitution with the utmost independence and integrity. I am so grateful for all of the people who made my investiture as an Associate Justice of the North… pic.twitter.com/UsWkoUNQkL

— Allison Riggs (@AllisonJRiggs) June 12, 2025

This ceremony came at the end of a months-long political battle between Riggs, a Democrat, and her Republican challenger, NC Appellate Judge Jefferson Griffin. Riggs, appointed in 2023 by former Gov. Roy Cooper, enjoyed a short stint on North Carolina’s highest court before she ran to retain her seat in the fall of 2024.  

This election led to a drawn-out battle, as Griffin challenged the results, believing that the results was close enough that eliminating certain ballots that should not have been counted would reverse the result.  

Final vote counts showed Riggs leading Griffin by 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million ballots cast throughout the state last fall. Griffin, however, had challenged more than 65,000 ballots in a legal dispute that moved through both state and federal court. 

For nearly six months, this election was left undecided as the NC Supreme Court ruled first in favor of Griffin, as many of the ballots cast were from North Carolinians deployed in the armed services or residing abroad. The court’s decision stated that these ballots were invalid due to lack of photo identification or a copy thereof.  

The US District Court for Eastern NC, however, overturned this ruling, as federal Judge Richard Myers determined that the state court ignored a directive from the State Board of Elections that does not require overseas voters to provide identification. As a result, Myers ruled in favor of Justice Riggs as the winner of the Supreme Court seat and Griffin rescinded his challenge.  

While this ruling took place in May and Justice Riggs already took her oath of office, she was not formally seated until mid June. This is not an unusual occurrence as the oath of office is always taken first, allowing a justice may begin their duties as soon as possible. In this case, since Justice Riggs was already serving on the bench, there was no delay or issue as she maintained her duties throughout the legal battles.  

With Riggs’s retention of her seat, the partisan split on the Supreme Court remains 5-2 in favor of Republican justices.

The post Riggs officially sworn in for new term on NC Supreme Court first appeared on Carolina Journal.

The post Riggs officially sworn in for new term on NC Supreme Court appeared first on First In Freedom Daily.