Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin trails Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs in their race for a seat on the state Supreme Court, but Griffin says that very tribunal should handle his effort to invalidate more than 60,

Three counts show an incumbent Democrat won election to the State Supreme Court. But an unusual protest by the G.O.P. challenger could be headed to that same Republican-controlled court.

Jurisdiction for petitions by Judge Jefferson Griffin in his dispute with the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Judge Allison Riggs, his election opponent, were remanded from federal court to the state on Monday night.