The North Carolina Supreme Court on Monday put on hold an appellate court's decision that gave more than 60,000 voters just 15 days to establish their voting eligibility or have the ballots they cast last fall in a close race for a seat on the state's high court thrown out.

After a Democratic incumbent appeared to have narrowly won, her Republican challenger sued in a case that has been ongoing since November.

A three-judge panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Friday that more than 65,000 votes cast in the contested race for the state Supreme Court in 2024 must be recounted and verified — a win for the Republican candidate in the razor-thin,

In a pair of one-sentence statements without objections, the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay of Friday's order by a Court of Appeals panel that in part directed election workers to identify and contact potentially tens of thousands of voters whose ballots were challenged by Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin.

A razor-close race for a seat on the court is the last 2024 statewide election in the nation to remain uncertified.

Republican Jefferson Griffin is contesting his narrow loss by challenging over 65,000 ballots, and an appeals court just ruled in his favor.