- Three Republican state senators complain that Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs is "blatantly violating" North Carolina's Code of Judicial Conduct during her election campaign.
- Sens. Buck Newton, Amy Galey, and Danny Britt accuse Riggs of stating her positions on cases that may come before the high court in campaign ads attacking her Republican opponent.
- "I will not be intimidated by these Republican attacks on judicial independence and free speech," Riggs responded Monday on X/Twitter.
State Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs responded Monday to Republican state senators filing a complaint against her with North Carolina’s Judicial Standards Commission. The senators accuse Riggs of “blatantly violating” the state Code of Judicial Conduct in her campaign for election to North Carolina’s highest court.
Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Riggs, a fellow Democrat, to fill a state Supreme Court vacancy in September 2023. She is running this fall for a full eight-year term. She faces Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the general election.
In an Oct. 14 letter addressed “Dear colleague,” Republican state Sens. Buck Newton, Amy Galey, and Danny Britt express concerns about Riggs’ “actions and her campaign for election.”
“As attorneys who value the integrity of our judicial process, it has become clear that Justice Riggs is guided more by the politics of winning an election rather than honoring the Code of Judicial Conduct,” the senators wrote.
“The Code prohibits any judicial candidate, regardless of the office they seek, from taking a position on any issue that may appear before their court,” the letter continued.
“However, Justice Riggs is blatantly violating the Code,” the senators wrote. “She is currently running attack ads against Judge Jefferson Griffin, outlining her position on specific issues that may appear before the court while stating what she perceives to be her opponent’s position.”
Newton has asked for a “full investigation” from the state Judicial Standards Commission. The letter urges senators to “monitor any future actions she may take between now and election day.”
“If judicial candidates are allowed to run campaigns on legislating from the bench, then we legislators will need to take action in the upcoming session to prevent such a breach of judicial conduct from ever happening again.”
Judicial Standards Commission proceedings typically remain confidential unless the commission recommends some form of penalty against the judge.
Riggs posted about the week-old letter on X/Twitter Monday afternoon.
“Over the past 22 months on the campaign trail, you’ve heard me speak boldly about my values–including transparency, integrity, reproductive freedom, and democracy. Last week, I learned that three Republican senators falsely accused me of violating the code of judicial conduct,” Riggs wrote.
“Let me be clear: I will not be intimidated by these Republican attacks on judicial independence and free speech,” she added. “All voters deserve to cast an informed vote, which means knowing about my values and seeing the receipts on my opponent’s record.”
“This is a troubling moment for judicial independence in our state. Members of the legislature should never be able to weaponize the nonpartisan Judicial Standards Commission to assist a political ally in winning a judicial election,” Riggs wrote.
“But this moment reminds all of us about what’s at stake in this election–integrity, transparency, and the separation of powers,” she added. “Over the next fifteen days—and beyond—I will continue to speak boldly and fearlessly to make sure that North Carolinians can hold judges accountable.”
Republicans now hold a 5-2 majority on the state Supreme Court. Court membership would remain unchanged if Riggs wins on Nov. 5. The Republican majority would grow to 6-1 if Griffin wins.