North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin and his family have endured non-stop harassment and threats of violence, including death threats, over the past four months after he filed a lawsuit contesting more than 65,000 ballots cast in November’s general election for a seat on the state Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs leads Griffin by 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million ballots cast.

Threats and harassment haven’t stopped, even after the announcement of the recent passing of Griffin’s daughter, Maggie, who was born prematurely at 23 weeks, according to family attorney Blannie Miller.

In fact, they have only ramped up.

official investigations

North Carolina Judicial Branch Communications Director Graham Wilson told Carolina Journal in an emailed statement Friday that marshals for the state Supreme Court are investigating the threats.

He also said they are conducting similar investigations regarding Riggs.

Miller told Carolina Journal in a phone interview Friday that Griffin, his wife Katye, and their two young children have been targeted with close to 200 letters and postcards at their home from as far away as the West Coast, with stickers being affixed with their address typed out.

Critics have also placed flyers with an opinion piece by Bob Hall, former executive director of Democracy North Carolina, all over their neighborhood, including people’s vehicles and grocery stores, and have made online threats with thousands of social media posts.

She told CJ that Katye is afraid to leave the house and that babysitters are afraid to come over after online threats of people saying they would come to the house.

Tensions have only mounted after the press release sent out by Miller conveying the Griffins’ gratitude for the outpouring of love and condolences following the loss of Maggie and the emergency c-section that Katye went through.

She said the Griffins’ request for peace and privacy at their home, allowing the couple and their children to grieve, was ignored. The groups conducting the attacks were asked to hold off for a few weeks, but they only grew, with more threatening letters, flyers, and even billboards in their community.

What’s more disturbing, Miller said, is that some in the media are questioning the timing of the announcement.

Miller said it was insinuated by media reports that the family was trying to find an angle for the best PR timing for a child’s death. Reporters told her that the timing was “weird” and why not six months ago, before the election.

She said the statement was heartfelt and wanted to be made, showing how the couple loved their daughter, even though she was only alive for a short time.

“Maggie was a beautiful soul,” the press release by Miller reads. “She was a blessing from God, loved and cherished by Katye, Jefferson, and her two siblings during her short but precious life.” 

With the cynicism of the reporting, Miller asked, “Where do you draw the line?”

It was announced on Friday that the full North Carolina Court of Appeals will not hear Griffin’s dispute. Instead, a three-judge panel with two Republicans and one Democrat will consider the case on March 21.

Miller told CJ that as things progress, she worries that they will only get worse, especially if they continue for perhaps another year.

She told CJ that, at this point, “We’re exploring all options to protect the Griffin family.”

Griffin and his family are not alone as angry outbursts, including death threats, toward Republican lawmakers and their families are becoming increasingly alarming in recent weeks.

organized outbursts

At a town hall meeting on Thursday at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-11, faced a barrage of angry outbursts directed at him over the Trump administration’s recent actions, including several federal job cuts being advised by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.

Reports estimate that nearly 2,000 people gathered outside the 360-seat Ferguson Auditorium.

Inside, Edwards was drowned out multiple times by people booing and shouting at him, including after he said he was proud to have voted for the House Budget Resolution.

People were heard screaming, “You aren’t allowed to cut our jobs,” “Are you afraid of Trump?”, and “Do your job!”

In an emailed statement to Carolina Journal, Edwards said being accessible, listening, and answering questions for the people of western North Carolina are among his favorite activities.

“We may not agree on every issue, but hearing the concerns of Western North Carolinians and answering their questions will continue to be a priority of mine,” he said. “I was able to answer questions from multiple different constituents at the town hall and dispel some of the misinformation currently being spread around. I look forward to doing so again soon at my upcoming tele-town hall.”

Rep. Richard Hudson, R, NC-9, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has advised members to avoid in-person town halls after several faced intimidation and backlash over the job cuts and the uncovering of wasteful government spending.

Indivisible, a progressive Democrat group launched in 2016 after President Donald Trump’s first election, is just one of the groups publicizing GOP town halls. It is being reported on social media that they plan to have people attend meetings that lawmakers are scheduled to have in their home districts between March 15 and 23.

On March 6, local Democratic Party groups and the Indivisible Guilford County group organized a protest at US Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, Greensboro office.

In an email to CJ, a spokesperson for Tillis said two weeks prior to that, his Greenville office received a handwritten letter postmarked from Greensboro.

While the letter writer insisted “this should not be considered a threat,” they went on to declare that Senator Tillis’ staff members are “sacrificial lambs” who “signed up to be his shield” and implied they would soon be subject to the violence of angry mobs unless they resign.   

The email stated that while Tillis, his staff, and his family have long been subject to threats, harassment, attempted intimidation, and verbal abuse from unstable individuals who don’t agree with his political views, some of those who oppose him are taking it to a new, dangerous level.

“Democratic parties and established left-wing political groups protesting a Republican member of Congress is nothing new nor newsworthy,” the email states. “What is newsworthy is the volume of threats and harassment directed at members of Congress and their staff is the new normal and indicative of a much larger problem with the political discourse in our country. The current President of the United States was targeted for assassination not once but twice during the last campaign, and both attempts happened less than a year ago.”   

The spokesperson said that law enforcement has since advised Tillis’ staff to telework on days they expect protesters out of an abundance of caution.

“We will not make any apologies for prioritizing the safety and security of our staff.”

State Rep. Erin Paré has also received angry messages and voicemails laced with profanity from an Apex town employee. She called for civility in treating each other with respect.

“I think sometimes we all have to take a breath and go, ‘You know what, I should treat my fellow citizen a little better because they’re a human being,’” Paré told News & Observer.