An incumbent Democrat narrowly won re-election to the state’s highest court. But the Republican-controlled court is considering an unusual protest from her challenger that could flip the result.

The North Carolina Supreme Court blocked state officials from certifying the Democratic candidate as the winner of a razor-thin race for the state’s high court.

The Republican-dominated North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the state's elections board from certifying the results of an election to fill a seat on the court currently occupied by the leading Democratic candidate,