Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin (File photo)

Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin is seeking one of the most important and powerful public offices in North Carolina — a seat on the
state Supreme Court.

He’s also taken the extraordinary step of trying to overturn the election
he lost for that seat last November by having more than 60,000 ballots
thrown out. Thanks to his actions, North Carolina is once again in a
negative national spotlight.

And yet, despite having unleashed an enormous controversy that many
nonpartisan experts say poses a serious threat to the sanctity of U.S. elections, and indeed, our democracy itself, Griffin is nowhere to be
seen or found.

Unlike the opponent who defeated him, incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, who has addressed Griffin’s actions openly and publicly, Griffin has remained in the shadows, hiding behind the excuse that he can’t discuss the controversy while it’s in litigation.

And that in a word, is baloney.

The bottom line: Judge Griffin is attempting an unprecedented action to disenfranchise 60,000 of his fellow citizens. The least he could do is have the guts to stand behind it in public.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.