In the push and pull over whether a Republican judge’s request to throw out more than 60,000 votes in his election contest should be considered in state or federal court, a panel of federal judges said Tuesday that the case will stay in state court for now.

In a win for Republicans seeking to overturn the 2024 election results of a race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, a federal appeals court has given the case back to state courts. Democratic inumbent Justice Allison Riggs received 734 votes more than Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin in the November election.

Tuesday’s decision means Judge Jefferson Griffin’s challenge could eventually be heard by the North Carolina Supreme Court, the very body he aims to join.