The same day, the Harris campaign filed a lawsuit arguing that a court should compel the board to certify the election results. It’s unclear when the court will rule on Harris’s motion (a hearing date has not been set, but legal briefs in the case are due Jan. 14), but it may not matter what the court decides. Even if Harris shows up in Washington with a certificate of election, the House has the final word on admitting him, and its newly minted Democratic leadership has said they would not seat him as the situation currently stands. Over the weekend, Politico reported that House Democrats were even preparing to launch their own investigation into potential fraud in the 9th District.

There’s also the possibility (still a long way off) of a new election in the 9th District. And if the state board of elections orders a revote (which it has the authority to do if it finds that “irregularities or improprieties” tainted the results), there would be a new primary in addition to a new general election, per that same law the legislature passed last month. If the U.S. House chooses to investigate, it too can trigger a new election — including a primary — by declaring the seat vacant.