Disputed ballots in the still unresolved 2024 race for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat must remain in the final count, a federal judge ruled late Monday, a decision that if upheld would result in an electoral victory for Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs.

The decision could bring an end to nearly six months of legal battles over the Republican candidate’s attempt to overturn his loss.

A federal judge ordered North Carolina's election board on Monday to not throw out any ballots cast by voters in November in a close race for a seat on the state's Supreme Court and to certify a sitting Democratic justice's electoral victory.