Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin has conceded the North Carolina state Supreme Court election to Democratic Justice Allison Riggs. The decision ends months of legal challenges that have embroiled the unresolved North Carolina contest since November.

A Republican candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court in November's election conceded defeat on Wednesday, ending his legal efforts to have thousands of ballots thrown out six months after the final votes were cast.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Republican challenger for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat conceded last November’s election to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs on Wednesday, two days after a federal judge ruled that potentially thousands of disputed ballots challenged by Jefferson Griffin must remain in the final tally.