CONTACT
Zack Ford, Press Secretary
(202) 464-7370 / [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 7, 2025 – Today, Jefferson Griffin finally conceded in the North Carolina Supreme Court race he lost by 734 votes back in November, finalizing incumbent Justice Allison Riggs’s win. Griffin’s concession follows a federal court ruling Monday that every vote must be counted and the election be certified. 

For the past six months, Griffin has been trying to throw out thousands of votes, primarily from parts of North Carolina with Democratic majorities. His argument was an attempt to retroactively change the laws and throw out votes that voters had every reason to believe were lawfully and properly cast. 

Tish Gotell Faulks, state courts director at Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, issued the following statement: 

“The ongoing fight to preserve democracy in North Carolina is over — for now. Jefferson Griffin’s attempt to cheat North Carolina voters by throwing out thousands of votes after the fact was always an attack on democracy itself. A lawful vote cast is a lawful vote cast, no matter how much the loser wishes that weren’t so. Justice Allison Riggs will continue to be a champion for all North Carolinians as the rightful winner of the election six months ago. 

“Let this be a warning, however, of how fragile our democracy is. Throughout Griffin’s fight, there were several judges willing to throw out lawfully cast votes to hand the election to the loser. We must be vigilant in countering conservative efforts to create barriers at the polls and suppress votes. Everyone deserves a chance to have their voice count, even in a state as gerrymandered as North Carolina.” 

CONTACT
Zack Ford, Press Secretary
(202) 464-7370 / [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2024 – Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson has won reelection to his seat, defeating challenger John Barrow. While there were four seats under consideration in Tuesday’s election, Barrow was the only challenger to any of the incumbents. Competitive judicial elections are rare in Georgia because the secretary of state’s control over the elections allows them to effectively curtail efforts to challenge incumbents they wish to keep in power. Barrow called out Pinson’s role in helping defend a six-week abortion ban and was accused of ethical violations for implying as a judicial candidate how he’d rule in such cases. 

While the outcome is not surprising given the incumbent advantage and the way “judicial ethics” were weaponized to protect Justice Pinson, the race sparked important conversations about the importance of state supreme court elections. As the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court rules against cherished rights and freedoms, state supreme courts can be an important stopgap — one that voters in many states can directly impact. 

Jake Faleschini, Justice Program Director at Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, issued the following statement: 

“The outcome in the Georgia Supreme Court race is disappointing, but this race opened a Pandora’s Box that won’t so easily be closed. How else should voters be expected to select a justice but for their understanding of the law and the way it protects them? The U.S. Supreme Court has specifically upheld the free speech rights of judges who are forced to run in elections. Our state constitutions can be more protective of our rights than the U.S. Constitution, and Barrow had every right to talk about his values on the campaign trail. 

“Georgia’s supreme court may not have become a safer place for reproductive rights, but we are encouraged by the discourse around this race. Voters deserve justices who care about the integrity of the law and not just a partisan agenda. This was only one election out of the 33 states holding supreme court elections across the country this year, and we look forward to state supreme court races where these vital issues receive the attention and scrutiny they deserve. Sunlight, as they say, is the best disinfectant.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 4, 2023 – The Alliance for Justice Action Campaign offers its sincere congratulations to Janet Protasiewicz on winning today’s election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. With over $42 million spent, this race made history as the most expensive state supreme court race in American history. 

Protasiewicz’s win will put liberals back in control of the state’s highest court at a crucial time. It could soon be faced with questions related to abortion access, the state legislature’s heavily gerrymandered maps, and the integrity of the 2024 election. Having fair-minded justices like Protasiewicz will make a difference for protecting democracy, justice, and equal rights. 

Jake Faleschini, AFJ Action Legal Director for State Courts, issued the following statement: 

“AFJ Action was proud to support Janet Protasiewicz for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Her victory may end up being a saving grace for democracy in a state where Republican lawmakers have rigged legislative maps, undermined fair elections, and gutted the power of the elected governor. Let this election be a warning for just how determined conservatives are to steal power and impose minority rule. We held them off today, but we saw their true colors and we know they won’t stop in Wisconsin. Protasiewicz proved the will of the people can prevail, and we hope that she has the courage to protect the rights of the people in return.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 27, 2023 – As the Wisconsin Supreme Court race enters its home stretch, Alliance for Justice Action Campaign is redoubling its commitment to preserving democracy in the state with an additional five-figure campaign on top of its ongoing efforts to get out the vote and support Janet Protasiewicz on April 4. 

The campaign will feature a video that highlights Protasiewicz’s commitment to equality and justice for all and the importance of flipping the Wisconsin Supreme Court to protect core democratic principles. In contrast, Dan Kelly is an extremist who openly opposes abortion access, who has compared affirmative action and social security to slavery, and who openly worked for the Republican Party to advise on election issues. For years, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin have been gutting the power of the governor and undermining access to the polls, and Kelly cannot be allowed to rule on anti-democratic cases he may have literally helped devise the legal strategy for in the first place. 

Additionally, the campaign will include roughly $50,000 in voter outreach and education through text messages and banner ads, which will help voters understand that the election is happening, that it’s not too late to register to vote, why it is important to vote, and how to find their polling place or request and cast an absentee ballot.  

Jake Faleschini, AFJ Action Legal Director for State Courts, issued the following statement: 

“The stakes could not be higher in this Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which has already become the most expensive state supreme court race in American history. It is no exaggeration to say that democracy is literally on the line. For the past decade, Wisconsin has been a failed state thanks to the Republican Party gerrymandering the legislature to maintain control even when it has lacked majority support from voters. We cannot allow the Wisconsin Supreme Court to continue to prop up this non-representative power grab with more attacks on voting rights and representation that could impact federal representation as well. AFJ Action is committed to preserving democracy and fighting to seat progressive jurists ready to protect equality and justice for all.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 10, 2023 – In the last week of January, the Washington Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case in which a group of wealthy conservative activists are challenging a capital gains tax passed by the Washington state legislature. In their attempts to defeat the tax, which is expected to bring in about $500 million that will fund early childhood education in the state, one group has admitted to openly attempting to lobby the justices on that court.

In the days leading up to the hearing, the Washington Policy Center (WPC) — a rightwing, Freedom Foundation-aligned think tank in Washington and an amicus filer in the case — informed donors that it planned to run ads directly targeting the justices and their staff at their offices and homes to sway their thinking against the tax. In addition to being an amicus filer, two parties named in the lawsuit also sit on the WPC board. This ad campaign, they admitted to donors, would involve using microtargeting techniques like geo-fencing to ensure the justices, their staff, and their influencers see their materials.

Jake Faleschini, Legal Director for State Courts at Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, issued the following statement:

“It’s astonishing to see conservative groups openly admit that they’re trying to win their cases outside of the courtroom. I’m young enough to remember when conservatives tried to convince the nation that judges just call balls and strikes while they decried rulings they didn’t like as ‘judicial activism.’ Now, conservatives don’t even pretend to care about winning cases on the merits.

“As we’ve learned from recent revelations about anti-abortion groups courting the U.S. Supreme Court, this is not an isolated incident. Conservatives have transformed our federal courts into political institutions and want to do the same with our state courts. This is why public faith in our courts is so low. People from all political backgrounds should come together to condemn these lobbying tactics. If the president and CEO of the Washington Policy Center, who is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, had a hand in these attempted ex parte communications with the justices, then he should be disbarred for ethics violations. The only way to restore trust in our justice system is to make sure the courtroom is a level playing field for all cases.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 18, 2023 – Today the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee voted to reject the nomination of Justice Hector LaSalle to the state’s highest court. LaSalle has a disturbingly conservative record, raising questions as to why Gov. Kathy Hochul nominated him and lobbied so persistently for his confirmation. 

Jake Faleschini, AFJ Action’s Legal Director for State Courts, issued the following statement: 

“The senators did the right thing today in rejecting Hector LaSalle’s nomination to the New York Court of Appeals. His anti-worker, anti-abortion, and anti-criminal justice record proved disqualifying. Even during today’s hearing, LaSalle defended his past ruling allowing jurors to be removed from cases based on their skin color. New Yorkers deserve better than a judge with such a backwards perspective. They deserve a Court that is committed to protecting civil rights and upholding equal justice for all. We urge Gov. Hochul to choose a nominee worthy of such support.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 9, 2023 – In late December, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul nominated Hector LaSalle to be the new chief judge of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. The opening is an opportunity to swing the Court from a 4–3 conservative majority to a 4–3 liberal majority, but LaSalle brings a conservative record that is anti-worker, anti-abortion, and anti-criminal justice. While LaSalle enjoys some support given that he would be New York’s first Latino chief judge, his conservative background has earned him significant opposition. 

New York’s Senate, which must confirm the nomination, is strongly controlled by a Democratic supermajority, enough of whom have now come out against LaSalle’s confirmation to prevent the appointment without Republican support. Sen. Brad Hoylman, who chairs the state Senate’s judiciary committee, has previously indicated he is unwilling to advance LaSalle’s nomination if it would require Republican votes. 

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign opposes LaSalle’s nomination and urges Gov. Hochul to select a new nominee. 

Jake Faleschini, AFJ Action’s Legal Director for State Courts, issued the following statement: 

“Enough is enough. At the federal level, we have learned how dangerous it is to let our courts run amok with conservative activists. Over the past year, we saw the U.S. Supreme Court issue not only the Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade but also the Bruen ruling gutting New York’s gun violence prevention measures. New York has a rare opportunity to reinvigorate its own highest court by ensuring that it is controlled by judges committed to civil rights and equal justice for all. Hector LaSalle is clearly the wrong pick for chief judge. Gov. Hochul should withdraw his nomination immediately and instead pick one of the three highly qualified women forwarded by her Judicial Screening Committee. It is time to end this needless charade and move on.”