RALEIGH — With Republicans sweeping statewide judicial races in the past two election cycles, eyes are on this year’s lone North Carolina Supreme Court seat race between Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin and Associate Justice Allison Riggs.
At the time she was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to the Court of Appeals in mid-December 2022, Riggs had no bench experience and was known for her work at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. At that organization, she worked alongside Associate Justice Anita Earls before Earls’ election to the high court. Both women have been backed and endorsed by former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder.
Nine months after her initial appointment, in September 2023, Cooper elevated Riggs to the state Supreme Court following the departure of Associate Justice Michael Morgan, who left the bench to compete in the Democratic primary for governor.
While this is Riggs’ first time running for an elected statewide office, she defeated her primary challenger to face Griffin this fall, who won his Court of Appeals seat in the 2020 statewide election.
During the 2020 campaign cycle, Griffin was initially deployed overseas with the 30th Armor Brigade and came back to a state closed down due to COVID-19. His wife, Katye, had to handle much of the 2020 campaign work in his absence.
In an interview with North State Journal, Griffin talked about the current race and how the judicial system touches people in their everyday lives.
“People are more aware about our judicial races now, I think overall,” said Griffin. “They’ve seen the impact that the state judiciary has on their lives and what issues they touch. Pretty much anything in your life, state courts will have some impact on it, so people are more aware of that.”
Griffin said judicial restraint, consistency and keeping politics out of the courtroom were topics being discussed by voters as he campaigned around the state.
“North Carolinians want jurists who are not up there with a political agenda,” said Griffin. “They want consistency in the law, whether that’s from practitioners, the business community, like I said, everything in our lives, as citizens are touched by our state courts, so people want consistency.
“They don’t want politicians up there in rooms that are trying to make policy changes or fight some ideological battle or policy battle from the pitch.”
The 43-year-old Griffin said his judicial philosophy and approach line up with what he is hearing on the campaign trail.
“I believe we should interpret the law as when it was written,” Griffin said, describing himself as an originalist. “I think that is the most consistent way to interpret the law, and it keeps us as jurists from putting our own meaning into legal documents.
“It keeps us in line with our job of interpreting the law, not making the law from the bench. The more we put our own spin on things as jurists, the further away that document gets away from the people who either ratified something or sent their elected representatives to make the law.”
Bipartisan support and prior electoral experience were two things Griffin underscored about his candidacy.
“I’ve been very humbled and thankful for the support from those relationships when I was a prosecutor and just a court judge in Wake County,” said Griffin. “I’m proud that we’ve had support across the state from not only Republicans but Democrats and unaffiliated voters as supporters.”
Former Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Griffin to fill the Wake County District Court seat in 2015. Griffin then ran to retain the seat and won, unopposed, in 2016.
Griffin underscored he chose to go into the law because it was the best way to serve North Carolinians.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a football coach, a soldier or a lawyer,” said Griffin, adding he’s gotten a chance to be involved in each of those things. “I finally got down to what one of the best ways I can help people in my state and give back to North Carolina, and service in the law was the area that I felt most strongly on.”
Griffin said he earned valuable experience working on charter fishing boats in college and law school, but these days, family is his priority.
“My most important job and my favorite job right now is I’m a father to two awesome kids,” Griffin said of his 7-month-old daughter and 2½-year-old son.
Griffin said he’s a “big outdoorsman” who, when he can carve out free time, enjoys fishing or turkey hunting.
Information on Griffin’s campaign can be found at jeffersongriffin.com.
CAPTION: Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, pictured in 2020, is facing Justice Amanda Riggs for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. (A.P. Dillon / North State Journal)
