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Governance
On January 1 Josh Stein was sworn in as North Carolina’s 76th governor. On his first day, he signed five executive orders to support Hurricane Helene relief for the western part of the state. The orders will temporarily waive regulations for procuring temporary housing, provide emergency funds for road and bridge repair, and establish new entities (a recovery office within the governor’s office and a Division of Community Revitalization within the Department of Commerce) to address recovery needs.
Voting Rights
After Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin continued his efforts to have more than 60,000 votes thrown out in his race against Justice Allison Riggs, Riggs asked a federal judge to deny Griffin’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent certification of her victory. Griffin had asked the Republican-dominated state Supreme Court on December 18 to override the State Board of Elections’ decision not to throw out the ballots, but the case was then moved to a federal district court. US District Judge Richard Myers II is now considering Griffin’s request for an injunction along with Riggs’s brief urging him to deny the request.
A federal judge sends NC Republican Judge Griffin’s contested voters case back to state court. Board of Elections certifies results of remaining state legislative contests. –Lynn Bonner, NC Newsline
On Sunday hundreds of people rallied at Halifax Mall in Raleigh in support of Justice Riggs, including voters whose votes would be thrown out if Jefferson Griffin and the Republican Party get their way.
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