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 federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday said it will hear Republican State appeals court Judge Jefferson Griffin’s elections case, where he’s seeking to invalidate more than 60,000 votes in the race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court.

The NC Supreme Court put a hold on election result certification for a contested seat following a narrow win by Democrat Riggs over Republican Griffin.