A costly campaign by abortion-rights advocates for state supreme court seats yielded mixed results in Tuesday's election, with Republicans expanding their majority on Ohio's court while candidates backed by progressive groups won in Montana and Michigan.

Republicans retained their majority on Ohio's top court and are leading in a race to unseat a sitting Democratic justice on North Carolina's following an election cycle in which Democrats had hoped the issue of abortion access would help liberal candidates secure seats on state supreme courts nationwide.

State Supreme Court hears both civil and criminal matters. The eight counties that make up the Seventh Judicial District are Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates. Judges serve 14-year terms and the current salary is $232,600.