An unresolved race from the 2024 election cycle has finally ended after months of legal battles. Republican Jefferson Griffin conceded to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs in the contested North Carolina Supreme Court race. “The announcement came two days after a federal judge ruled against Griffin’s legal challenge to tens of thousands of ballots and ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections to certify Riggs’ 734-vote victory,” NBC News reports. BREAKING: Jefferson Griffin has conceded to Allison Riggs in the State Supreme Court race. Griffin says he will not appeal @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/D16BS9y23g — Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 7, 2025 Per NBC News: The ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Myers, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, effectively put an end to all ongoing litigation and provided Griffin with seven days to appeal. Instead, Griffin, chose to end his legal efforts six months after the final votes had been cast in November’s election. “While I do not fully agree with the District Court’s analysis, I respect the court’s holding — just as I have respected every judicial tribunal that has heard this case,” Griffin said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I will not appeal the court’s decision.” Riggs said in a statement: “After millions of dollars spent, more than 68,000 voters at risk of losing their votes, thousands of volunteers mobilized, hundreds of legal documents filed, and immeasurable damage done to our democracy, I’m glad the will of the voters was finally heard, six months and two days after Election Day.” Riggs, who was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2023, emerged after Election Day narrowly ahead of Griffin, a state appeals court judge. A full machine recount and a partial hand recount both showed Riggs leading Griffin by 734 votes out of 5.5 million ballots cast. “Judge Jefferson Griffin has indicated he will not appeal this week’s federal court decision. Like Judge Griffin, we respect the court’s opinion but remain concerned about the serious election integrity issues this litigation brought to light,” the North Carolina Republican Party said. “Throughout this process, Judge Griffin has demonstrated integrity, courage, and a steadfast commitment to the rule of law. He and his family have withstood vicious attacks, smears, and lies for raising these issues,” it added. Throughout this process, Judge Griffin has demonstrated integrity, courage, and a steadfast commitment to the rule of law. He and his family have withstood vicious attacks, smears, and lies for raising these issues. (2/4) — NCGOP (@NCGOP) May 7, 2025 “Finally. Our democracy survives when every legal vote is counted and the will of the people is accepted by candidates who did not win. I was proud to appoint Justice Riggs and now she can continue her fair and impartial hard work on the NC Supreme Court,” former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, commented. Finally. Our democracy survives when every legal vote is counted and the will of the people is accepted by candidates who did not win. I was proud to appoint Justice Riggs and now she can continue her fair and impartial hard work on the NC Supreme Court. https://t.co/B7G2qj3s1z — Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) May 7, 2025 The Hill reports: The final outcome of the race, which was the last remaining unsettled election of the 2024 cycle, seemed uncertain for months as Griffin challenged the validity of about 65,000 ballots cast in the race over various issues. He had argued that 60,000 of the contested ballots should be considered invalid because those voters didn’t include information like a driver’s license or Social Security number on their registration forms. He challenged 5,500 additional ballots from military and overseas voters, arguing they should have been required to present a photo ID upon voting but weren’t. Those challenges had the potential to be highly consequential in the race because Riggs had finished 734 votes ahead of Griffin. Multiple recounts confirmed Riggs’s lead, but the state elections board had been barred by court order from certifying her as the victor. Riggs’s campaign and Democrats argued that Griffin was trying to steal the election, while Griffin and other Republicans maintained they were fighting for election integrity and ensuring only valid votes were counted.