Republican Jefferson Griffin lost by 734 votes, but he has contested the eligibility of 60,000 ballots cast in the election.

Democrats and voting rights groups are sounding the alarm after the North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the

The State Board of Elections is now temporarily blocked from certifying Allison Riggs as the winner in the Supreme Court election while the court considers her opponent’s challenge of 60,000 ballots.

Three counts show an incumbent Democrat won election to the State Supreme Court. But an unusual protest by the G.O.P. challenger could be headed to that same Republican-controlled court.

The North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the certification of the state's Supreme Court election as it prepares to consider a challenge from a Republican appeals court judge who is seeking to overturn his loss in the November election.

In his dissent, Justice Richard Dietz wrote that permitting such a case “invites incredible mischief” and will “lead to doubts about the finality of vote counts following an election.”

The ultimate winner gets an eight-year term on a Supreme Court where five of the seven current justices are registered Republicans.

North Carolina's Supreme Court blocked the election results for one of its own seats as Republican Jefferson Griffin challenges Democrat Allison Riggs's lead.