The North Carolina Supreme Court has dismissed a request by the trailing candidate in an close race for a seat on the court to rule now on whether well over 60,000 ballots should be removed from the tally.

In this moment of crisis, the courts have become the final guardrail against the forces of authoritarianism that seek to undermine the will of the voters.

The North Carolina Supreme Court rejected an effort from Republican Jefferson Griffin to expedite his appeal to toss out more than 60,000 ballots in a hotly contested judicial race. The state’s high court ruled that Griffin must have his appeal through Wake County Superior Court before it can be considered by the state Supreme Court.