The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Friday that more than 60,000 ballots cast in November by voters in a close race for a seat on the state's high court could be counted, but it left open the possibility of discounting thousands of others.

North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that tens of thousands of cast ballots challenged by the trailing candidate in November’s unresolved election for a seat on the court must remain in the election count.

North Carolina’s Supreme Court has temporarily halted enforcement of a decision by an appeals court that favored a Republican candidate in a close and unresolved November election for the state’s highest court.