The state Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not immediately decide on Judge Jefferson Griffin’s request to discard votes cast in his election, sending the case back to Wake County Superior Court.

Asheville resident and challenged voter Elizabeth MacDonald said while trying to evacuate during Hurricane Helene, she spent the night in a hospital parking lot with her infant son. Amid the storm recovery, she still made every effort to cast an early vote in the election, she said.

The legal battle has attracted national attention due in part to the plaintiff's claim that tens of thousands of North Carolina voters shouldn't have been allowed to cast a ballot in November.