Despite it being more than three months since voters cast their ballots, the race for a seat on North Carolina's highest judicial body remains undecided.

What's more, a recent decision by the state Supreme Court suggests that a quick resolution isn't on the horizon. 

Republican candidate is challenging 60,000 votes

At issue is an ongoing legal battle between Republican North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin and his Democratic opponent, incumbent Justice Allison Riggs.

As The Carolina Journal noted earlier this month, Griffin is currently trailing Riggs by 734 votes out of the 5.5 million ballots which were cast statewide.

Griffin maintains that approximately 60,000 ballots in question were submitted by individuals whose voter registration records lacked either a driver's license number or the last four digits of a social security number.

He also complains that 5,500 ballots came from overseas voters who did not present a photo ID and an additional 267 ballots were cast by those who have never lived in North Carolina.

State Board of Elections sought to expedite case

Griffin's objections were rejected by the State Board of Elections, and that decision was affirmed in a ruling from Wake County Superior Court Judge William Pittman.

"The Court concludes as a matter of law that the Board’s decision was not in violation of constitutional provisions, was not in excess of statutory authority or jurisdiction of the agency, was made upon lawful procedure, and was not affected by other error of law," Pittman wrote.

WRAL news noted on Thursday that following his loss in court, Griffin appealed Pittman's decision to the Court of Appeals where he currently serves as a judge.

While the Board of Elections asked the state Supreme Court to expedite the case by allowing it to skip the Court of Appeals, it refused to do so this week.

A deadlock is likely to work in Griffin's favor

WRAL explained that this could have serious implications for the outcome of the case as the Supreme Court is expected to be deadlocked.

This is because with Riggs having recused herself, the state Supreme Court is likely to be split three to three along partisan lines.

The news station pointed out how in the event of a tie, the most recent lower court decision will stand. That decision will likely come from the Court of Appeals, where Republicans hold a majority.

In defending the move, Justice Trey Allen wrote that "if we were to take this case now, we would do so in the absence of any meaningful examination" of Griffin's claims.