A Republican North Carolina judge who launched an unprecedented effort to overturn his unofficial loss in a state Supreme Court race is dropping his challenge to the results.

The Republican challenger for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat conceded last November's election on Wednesday to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, two days after a federal judge ruled that potentially thousands of disputed ballots challenged by Jefferson Griffin must remain in the final tally.

A federal judge ordered North Carolina's election board to certify a sitting Democratic justice's electoral victory to the state's Supreme Court.