Court directive to locate voters in close North Carolina election blocked for now

North Carolina’s Supreme Court has temporarily halted the enforcement of a Court of Appeals decision favoring Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin in an unresolved November election for a state Supreme Court seat. The stay, requested by Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, prevents election workers from contacting voters whose ballots were challenged, while the Supreme Court considers whether to formally review the appeals court’s ruling. Griffin, who is currently a Court of Appeals judge, leads Riggs by 734 votes, and the decision could potentially reverse the election outcome if upheld.