Elias Law Group Celebrates Victory for Democracy in North Carolina
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 5, a federal judge ruled that the North Carolina State Board of Elections must certify Justice Allison Riggs as the victor of the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race. Elias Law Group was proud to represent VoteVets Action Fund, the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans, and North Carolina voters in a lengthy and high-profile legal battle over the fate of tens of thousands of ballots wrongfully called into question by Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin after he lost the election.
“You establish the rules before the game. You don’t change them after the game is done,” wrote U.S. District Judge Richard Myers.
In a 68-page order, the Trump-appointed federal judge ruled that the wrongfully challenged ballots must be counted, rejecting an unprecedented attempt to discard legally cast votes months after Election Day and ensuring the voting rights of thousands of North Carolinians.
"This ruling stands as a powerful rebuke to a dangerously cynical strategy that would have retroactively stripped thousands of eligible North Carolina voters of their right to vote," said Lali Madduri, Partner at Elias Law Group. "This attempt to overturn an election by disqualifying lawfully cast ballots months after they were counted is the product of a Republican Party that has fully embraced election denialism, and whose standard bearers are willing to concoct absurd legal theories to disenfranchise their friends and neighbors--and even servicemembers--all to avoid coming to terms with the will of the voters. Judge Griffin did not even dispute that these votes were cast by North Carolinians who followed the law. We are glad the Court sent a clear message that these sorts of tactics are wrong and an affront to our democracy. Elias Law Group is honored to represent VoteVets Action Fund, the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans, and North Carolina voters in this critical case.”
Click HERE to read the full order.
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