North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs on Monday headlined a "Protect Our Votes" rally at Bicentennial Plaza in downtown Raleigh.

Her remarks came after the state Supreme Court ruled Friday that most of the 65,000 contested ballots in the November election should be counted but absentee voters overseas could have their ballots thrown out, impacting about 5,000 voters.

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Many of those voters are military personnel stationed overseas, Riggs said, vowing, "I will not give up on my fight to protect those fighting for us."

>> Here's how to find out if your ballot is on the list of those being challenged

Riggs said her father and brother both served in the military. She said, as soon as Friday's court ruling was issued, her legal team was already filing appeals with the federal court.

On Saturday, Riggs delivered similar remarks at the “In Our Court” conference at the NCCU School of Law in Durham, which is in one of the four counties where Republican Jefferson Griffin is fighting to throw out ballots from November’s election.

Riggs, who has recused herself from this case, said throwing out thousands of votes nearly six months after an election disrespects the will of the voters and said she is prepared to fight. 

"This presents a very real burden and threat to North Carolina voters in uniform, North Carolina voters who are missionaries serving on the mission field, foreign service officers, students studying abroad,” Riggs said. “The threat is real, the burden is real, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that their vote counts."

Republican strategist Paul Schumaker issued this statement on behalf of the Griffin campaign:

"The Court ruling on Friday is consistent with our request, and clearly, the matter warrants a thorough review, which the Courts have set forth.  What is most disturbing is Justice Riggs' desire to hold interviews and rallies to litigate this case outside of the Courts.  As stated previously, and for some reason, members of the media choose to ignore,  Judge Griffin cannot comment on any issue that is potentially before the court or may come before the court, as stated in the Code of Judicial Conduct.  Justice Riggs' decision to ignore the Code is her decision, which is an issue that will most likely come before the court once this litigation is resolved.  Justice Riggs clearly is a judicial activist who believes judges should make new laws, not interpret the laws enacted by the state legislature." 

Justice Riggs tells WRAL News she will do everything she can to ensure that those votes count.