North Carolina
NC Supreme Court could now decide who should win the election for a seat on the court
The North Carolina Supreme Court might soon get to decide who should win the election for one of its own seats, potentially giving the court’s Republican majority a chance to expand the party’s control over the judiciary.
The lawsuit had been in federal court, where judges at multiple levels have already rejected the legal theory behind the lawsuit seeking to change the results of 2024’s state Supreme Court election. But on Monday a federal judge sent it back down to the state Supreme Court.
In the 2024 elections, incumbent Democratic Justice Allison Riggs appeared to have held off Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, with multiple recounts confirming the initial results that showed her winning by slightly more than 700 votes — a sliver of the more than 5 million votes cast in the race. But state elections officials haven’t made the victory official yet, due to a series of challenges launched by Griffin’s campaign and the North Carolina Republican Party. Griffin and the state GOP are seeking to throw out the ballots of more than 60,000 North Carolinians who voted last year, largely over registration concerns.
The complaint primarily revolves around people for whom a driver’s license number or Social Security number isn’t listed in a state database, with Republicans raising questions of whether state officials can verify that those voters are who they say they are. Democrats say the argument is moot because, in order to vote last year, North Carolina voters had to show a photo identification card, such as a driver’s license. If they lacked ID at the polls, they had to provide their Social Security number. Anyone who didn’t never had their vote counted in the first place.
Republicans tried using the argument before and during the 2024 elections in an attempt to block affected people from being allowed to vote. Those legal theories were rejected by the State Board of Elections, by a federal district court judge and also by a federal appellate court. So the voters in question were allowed to cast ballots.
Now Griffin says their ballots should be thrown out after the fact, predicting in court filings that doing so could propel him to victory and expand Republicans’ majority on the Supreme Court from a 5-2 to a 6-1 advantage.
State vs. federal court
Griffin’s post-election efforts were rejected by the State Board of Elections in a series of votes, with the election board’s Democratic majority voting that his claims were baseless and Republican members siding with Griffin.
Griffin, who remains a judge on the Court of Appeals while the case is pending, lodged five types of complaints, which also included a smaller number of overseas voters he doesn’t think should’ve been allowed to vote. One of the complaints was rejected unanimously, the others were rejected on 3-2 party-line votes.
State law says Griffin should’ve then appealed the election board’s decision in Wake County by taking the case to trial. He skipped that process and went straight to the Republican-led Supreme Court, seeking a ruling in his favor. Riggs’ campaign said that’s because Griffin has no evidence and would be exposed at trial. Griffin said it’s because he wants to speed things along since the election is already two months in the past.
In one of the previous cases ruled on during the election, federal Judge Richard Myers shot down the Republican Party’s efforts to stop the voters in question from voting. His ruling was later upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which further added that the legal arguments involved could only be heard in federal court, not state court.
The State Board of Elections moved Griffin’s post-election lawsuit into federal court, citing that precedent. The case went back to Myers, a Republican appointed by Donald Trump, who on Monday ruled that it shouldn’t be heard in federal court and that the North Carolina Supreme Court should decide.
The State Board of Elections could still appeal that decision. So, too, could Riggs, who has since intervened in the lawsuit. If the case ends up being heard in state court, however, Riggs won’t be able to defend her election results. She has already recused herself from taking part in any potential case over her election.
Spokespeople for Riggs and the elections board each said Monday they were still reviewing the order and had no immediate comment.
Political ramifications
A loss by Riggs would make it more difficult, though not impossible, for Democrats to flip back control of the Supreme Court before 2030 when there will be a new U.S. Census, followed by a new round of political redistricting.
In 2022, a Democratic majority on the court ruled that Republican lawmakers’ 2020 redistricting plans were unconstitutionally gerrymandered. But Republicans took control of the court in 2023 and immediately moved to undo that ruling and allow GOP lawmakers to gerrymander for political gain. They ruled state courts aren’t allowed to rule on partisan gerrymandering cases.
That 2023 ruling allowed Republicans to flip three of North Carolina’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2024 elections — in which Republicans won a 220-215 majority in the U.S. House. If those three seats hadn’t flipped, Democrats would control the U.S. House by a 218-217 margin instead.
North Carolina
North Carolina couple accused of causing vulture invasion sued by furious town: ‘Not good neighbors’
A North Carolina couple accused of luring hordes of vultures to their home and unleashing chaos on neighbors for years is being hauled to court by fed-up town officials desperate to end the feathered frenzy.
The Town of Hillsborough slapped residents Kenneth and Linda Ostrand with a civil petition, seeking a court order to shut down their relentless bird-feeding habit, blamed for allegedly drawing dozens of winged scavengers to their home and terrorizing their small town for the past two years.
“They’re a little spooky to be frank,” concerned neighbor Holden Richards told WTVD.
“Everybody thinks they’re ugly and stuff but they’re not good neighbors. They have sharp talons, so they’re not great animals to have perching on your house. I watched them pick tiles off my neighbor’s roof and I found tiles from my roof in my front yard, so I have a feeling that’s exactly where they came from.”
The bird-brained couple is accused of leaving out food scraps for vultures, allegedly reeling in the feathered predators that have swarmed and roosted near their house, leaving foul-smelling droppings on neighbors’ homes and vehicles and causing widespread property damage deemed a risk to public safety.
The complaint, filed in March, also claims the twisted pair named the birds of prey – with eerie photos submitted to the court showing dozens of vultures circling their Queens Street home, the outlet reported.
“I’m pretty sure that every one of my neighbors has probably called,” Richards said, pointing to a flood of complaints made to town officials since May 2024.
The Ostrands reportedly filed a motion to dismiss the town’s case last month, denying the accusations.
Linda Ostrand, a longtime wildlife rescuer, told WTVD she is being unfairly targeted by her community and claimed the circling creatures were already an issue before she moved into the neighborhood.
“It’s sort of, it’s ridiculous, is what it is,” Linda said, noting the town changed an ordinance after the initial wave of complaints to ban wildlife feeding beyond standard feeders.
“If people didn’t have vultures around here you would hear them screaming bloody murder about the town not cleaning up the animals that have been hit by cars, because that’s what they do, they are nature’s garbage disposal,” she continued.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, tell the vultures that this is a no-feed zone. I just don’t know.”
No court date has reportedly been scheduled for the couple’s fight with the town.
North Carolina
Businesses worry of potential impacts as Marion tightens water restrictions amid drought
MARION, N.C. (WLOS) — The City of Marion is tightening water restrictions as drought conditions persist across western North Carolina, prompting local businesses to prepare for possible impacts on daily operations.
The drought monitor released on Thursday, May 14, shows that extreme drought now covers 90% of western North Carolina.
ASHEVILLE IS MORE THAN 7 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL THIS YEAR, DATA SHOWS
As the region continues moving into a hotter and drier pattern, the City of Marion officials announced Stage Two water shortage restrictions less than a month after issuing a Stage One Water Advisory.
Businesses in Marion said the quick escalation is raising concerns about what could come next if drought conditions persist.
“They put us in stage one at the end of April and already it’s not through, it’s not the end of May and they’re already putting us in stage two,” said Barbara Brown, owner of Bruce’s.
Under the Stage Two restrictions, watering lawns, gardens and golf courses will be prohibited. Washing cars, filling residential swimming pools and serving water in restaurants except upon request will not be allowed.
Brown said her restaurant is already taking steps to conserve water.
“We check the bathrooms often to make sure people have turned the water off because we have found from time to time, people leave them running,” she added.
She said she worries stronger restrictions could eventually force businesses to make bigger operational changes.
“I’m concerned that eventually we might have to go to paper plates, paper cups, silverware,” Brown said.
Other businesses are also considering adjustments.
Kat Garner, a tattoo artist at Blue Ridge Tattoo, said water shortages could affect how the shop operates day to day.
LEADERS URGE WATER CONSERVATION AS DROUGHT DEEPENS ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
“We would definitely be reduced to using distilled water for everything, which would become harder if everyone’s buying it out, so that would definitely make things a little bit more difficult,” Garner said.
The Stage Two water restrictions are set to begin Friday, May 15, at 8 a.m. and will last until further notice.
North Carolina
Police: North Carolina man charged after high-speed chase in Erie County, arrested in the Town of Perry
PERRY, N.Y. — A North Carolina man is in custody after a chase that started in Erie County and ended with an arrest in Perry.
Wyoming County Sheriff’s deputies say Ericson Vasquez-Moran, 22, rammed a Border Patrol vehicle in Erie County around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday before taking off. The suspect was spotted in Warsaw on Route 20A, but a chase was called off due to high speeds.
Then around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, deputies say Vasquez-Moran called 911 from Perry to surrender.
He’s charged with speeding, failure to keep right, unlawful fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment in the second degree.
Vasquez-Moran was given an appearance ticket for the Village of Warsaw Court and was released to the custody of the United States Border Patrol.
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