RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina Supreme Court decision refusing to further accelerate the appeals over an unsettled November election for a seat on the court means an official winner likely won't be finalized sooner, and the trailing candidate could benefit.

More than three months after the 2024 elections, there remains one uncalled statewide race in the Tar Heel State. A Thursday court decision further delayed its resolution. The North Carolina Supreme Court denied an effort by the state Board of Elections to bypass the state Court of Appeals as Republican Jefferson Griffin seeks to have

The case will instead go to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where Griffin currently sits as a judge. He told The N&O he won’t participate in his own case.