TL/DR –
Allison Riggs, a Democrat and longstanding North Carolina attorney, is running for a seat on the state’s Supreme Court in the upcoming November elections. Riggs, who has been instrumental in major voting rights litigation in North Carolina and has argued before the US Supreme Court twice, was appointed to a vacant seat on the state’s Supreme Court in 2023 by Governor Roy Cooper and is now campaigning to keep her seat. While Riggs’ candidacy is being criticised by state Republicans, her defenders argue that her legal experience, particularly in voting rights and civil rights, makes her a valuable addition to the court.
Meet Allison Riggs, the Democrat running for North Carolina’s Supreme Court this November.
Allison Riggs, a prominent North Carolina attorney, is no stranger to the front lines of voting rights litigation. She’s represented the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in two significant US Supreme Court voting rights cases.
Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2023, Riggs is vying to retain her seat on a right-leaning NC Supreme Court. As a progressive voice and one of the few women on a court with potential sway over future abortion rights in NC, her candidacy is noteworthy.
Despite Republican claims that Riggs is merely a party stooge, her record tells a different story. As co-leader of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, she tirelessly fought against gerrymandering and voter suppression in North Carolina.
Given the Republican-led North Carolina legislature’s track record of defending gerrymandered districts and voter suppression bills, arguments against Riggs’ candidacy seem unfounded.
Remember the 2016 federal court’s ruling that NC’s Republicans targeted Black voters “with surgical precision?” Attorneys like Riggs are the ones fighting such anti-voter bills.
Many North Carolinian voting rights lawyers aren’t just attorneys – they’re civil rights heroes, akin to Julius Chambers, Thurgood Marshall, Al McSurely, and Adam Stein. Riggs’ supporters argue her experience makes her an ideal candidate for the state’s top court.
After all, what’s more aligned with justice than fighting to preserve the right to vote?
All North Carolinians will see Riggs on this Election Day ballot. For a comprehensive look at Riggs and her opponent, Republican Jefferson Griffin, visit Cardinal & Pine’s 2024 Voter Hub.
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