Jeffrey C. Billman

Durham

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Politics and Law Reporter at The Assembly

Politics + Law Reporter @theassemblync | Send me tips: [email protected]

Articles

N.C. Supreme Court (Sort of) Rules for Allison Riggs

1 week ago | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

After months of legal wrangling, Republican justices were not willing to disenfranchise 67,000 voters to help Jefferson Griffin overturn his loss in last year’s North Carolina Supreme Court election. Instead, on Friday afternoon, four justices ruled that at least 267 votes should be thrown out and put about 5,000 more on thin ice. Two justices—Republican Richard Dietz and Democrat Anita Earls—partially dissented. The incumbent who defeated Griffin, Democrat Allison Riggs, recused herself.
He Was In N.C. Legally. Why Was He Deported?

2 weeks ago | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman |Ren Larson

The Zambrano family had no reason to suspect that anything would go wrong when they arrived at the Charlotte Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on January 29. As asylum seekers from Venezuela who’d entered the U.S. in November 2023, their check-in was routine, an annual ritual. They were in the country legally, awaiting immigration court dates that were still likely years off.
Griffin Takes His Case to His Court of Appeals Colleagues

1 month ago | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

On Friday, three N.C. Court of Appeals judges heard Jefferson Griffin’s case for why they should discard 65,000 votes from last year’s state Supreme Court election—the only 2024 race in the country not yet certified. By now, Griffin’s arguments in the long-running dispute are familiar. When the votes were counted, Griffin, a Republican Court of Appeals judge, was 734 votes behind Democrat Allison Riggs. But if the courts invalidate the votes Griffin says were illegally cast, he believes he’ll win.
Who is NC Senate Democrats' New Leader? Meet Sydney Batch.

1 month ago | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

By the time state Sen. Dan Blue realized he was being challenged, he was already in trouble. An icon among North Carolina Democrats, the 75-year-old Blue had spent more than four decades in the General Assembly. In the 1990s, he’d become the state’s first (and still only) Black House Speaker. After being appointed to the state Senate in 2009, Blue was elected caucus leader in 2014.
Wake Judge Dismisses Jefferson Griffin’s Election Challenge

2 months ago | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

Wake County Special Superior Court Judge William Pittman rejected Jefferson Griffin’s attempt to overturn his 734-vote loss to Justice Allison Riggs in last year’s state Supreme Court race on Friday, ruling that the State Board of Elections had not erred when it dismissed his challenge in December. The decision followed arguments earlier in the day. Griffin, who declined to comment after the hearing, is certain to appeal.
Mark Robinson Drops Lawsuit Against CNN

2 months ago | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

Mark Robinson’s defamation case against CNN and former Greensboro porn shop clerk Louis Money appears to have ended with a whimper on Friday. The former lieutenant governor conceded in a press release that “continuing to pursue retribution from CNN is a futile effort,” and his attorneys dismissed the lawsuit he’d filed in October. Robinson filed suit after articles in The Assembly and CNN derailed his campaign for governor.
The Docket: No End in Sight

2 months ago | theassemblync.com | Michael Hewlett |Jeffrey C. Billman |Anne Blythe

A three-judge panel for the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals seemed likely to keep Jefferson Griffin’s legal challenge in state court—perhaps, in part, because the state Supreme Court tied their hands. Three months after Election Day, Griffin, a Republican Court of Appeals judge, has not conceded his apparent 734-vote loss to Democratic Justice Allison Riggs.
Some N.C. Supreme Court Republicans Seem Willing to Overturn Griffin’s Defeat

Jan 24, 2025 | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

On January 22, the North Carolina Supreme Court unanimously declined to overturn Jefferson Griffin’s failed bid for a seat on the high court—for now. While the justices remanded the case to Wake County’s superior court, it could return to the Supreme Court later this year. Several justices indicated that they’ll be willing to indulge Griffin’s requests if it does. Griffin, a Republican Court of Appeals judge, trails Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs by 734 votes.
Jefferson Griffin’s Gambit For a State Supreme Court Seat

Jan 20, 2025 | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman |Michael Hewlett

The State Board of Elections received more than 1,300 public comments as it considered rules to implement new voter ID requirements in 2023. Most rehashed long-simmering debates over whether voter ID was racist or prevented fraud. Only a handful noticed a paragraph that exempted overseas and military voters. “If photo IDs are not required for military and overseas voters, they should not be required for citizens living in Chatham County who choose to vote by mail,” Susan J.
Former Hunt Institute Employees Describe a ‘Culture of Fear’

Nov 19, 2024 | theassemblync.com | Jeffrey C. Billman

Kendrall Felder became the Hunt Institute’s chief of staff in November 2022. The Duke University graduate had spent 17 years in the private sector, and though the nonprofit offered significantly less than he could earn elsewhere—with a $150,000 salary, he was its third-highest-paid employee—he agreed to stay for at least two years. He quit six weeks after he started. Felder said he joined the education think tank, which was founded by former Gov.