More than 80 days after Election Day, a race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court remains unresolved. That’s because the Republican candidate is contesting some 65,000 ballots.

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 N.C. Supreme Court is weighing whether to toss out more than 60,000 ballots cast in the race for a seat on that tribunal. That race is the last uncertified statewide contest in the nation.