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 prolonged the unresolved North Carolina contest since November.

Democrat Allison Riggs wins the North Carolina Supreme Court race, but the GOP scheme to overturn the election will do lasting damage to democracy.

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.