GOP judge trying to overturn NC high court election dressed in Confederate uniform: report

The North Carolina judge at the heart of a controversial attempt to overturn the state's 2024 Supreme Court election has been implicated in a new personal scandal involving a racist incident from his college days.

According to freelance journalist Bryan Anderson, new evidence shows that when Judge Jefferson Griffin was at the University of North Carolina, his Kappa Alpha fraternity held a traditional "Old South" ball in which the members donned military uniforms from the Confederate rebels during the Civil War. A picture obtained by Anderson shows Griffin among those in the getup.

This photographic evidence "comes at a delicate time for Jefferson Griffin, a Republican appellate judge who is seeking a spot on North Carolina’s highest court," noted the Associated Press. "Griffin, 44, is facing mounting criticism – including from some Republicans – as he seeks to invalidate over 60,000 votes cast in last November’s election, a still undecided contest in which he is trailing the Democratic incumbent by over 700 votes."

Griffin, in response to the news, apologized for his past behavior.

“At that time, like many college students, I did not fully grasp such participation’s broader historical and social implications," he said. "Since then, I have grown, learned, and dedicated myself to values that promote unity, inclusivity, and respect for all people.”

For years, many traditional parties and functions in Southern states have memorialized and valorized the cause of the Confederate States, formed by rebels to preserve the institution of slavery, which led to the deadliest war in U.S. history. It has left a number of modern-day southern politicians having to answer awkward questions. Some remain unrepentant, like failed Mississippi GOP Senate candidate Chris McDaniel, who in 2018 passionately defended the character of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Two separate recounts have confirmed that the winner of the North Carolina Supreme Court election was Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, prompting the State Board of Elections to certify the election in her favor. Griffin tried to get the rest of the state Supreme Court, which is dominated by Republicans, to review the decision, but they denied the request, so that the case can go to the Court of Appeals first.