A longtime voting rights attorney will be appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday, filling a vacancy when Judge Richard Dietz moves to the state Supreme Court next month.
Allison Riggs, a co-leader of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham, has been heavily involved for more than a decade in often-successful litigation to block Republican redistricting maps and laws mandating . Some of the cases currently await decisions from the state Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court.
Riggs also argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in a Texas redistricting case in 2018 and a North Carolina redistricting case in 2019.
Riggs "is a brilliant attorney and an experienced litigator who has spent her career fighting for fairness and defending people鈥檚 constitutional rights,鈥� Cooper said in a news release. 鈥淚 am confident that she will continue to serve our state with distinction and be a great asset to the bench.鈥�
Under state law, Riggs鈥檚 term will run through the end of 2024. She would have to run in a statewide election to seek a full eight-year term, which Riggs said in a separate release she plans to do.
鈥淭he judiciary serves a critical role in ensuring that equal justice for all is a reality for all, not just some. I look forward to serving on the court and to talking to voters across the state as I run for office in 2024,鈥� Riggs said.
Riggs is listed in election records as a registered Democrat. She'll succeed Dietz, a Republican who won an eight-year term on the Supreme Court by defeating Democratic candidate and fellow Court of Appeals Judge Lucy Inman. Cooper gets to fill court vacancies.
The 15-member Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appeals court. Cases are usually heard by panels of three judges. Republicans will hold an 11-4 advantage on the court come January.
Riggs at the Southern Coalition. Riggs received her law degree and two other degrees from the University of Florida.
