Jill Stein

A file photo of Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein.

(The Associated Press)

TRENTON -- A federal judge on Monday rejected an effort spearheaded by Green Party nominee Jill Stein for a recount of the presidential election results in Pennsylvania, clearing the way for President-elect Donald Trump to officially be certified the winner there.

Meanwhile, a statewide recount in Wisconsin was completed Monday, with Trump actually broadening his victory in the state. The Republican nominee picked up 131 votes there.

And on Friday, the Michigan Supreme Court halted a similar recount, preserving Trump's narrow win in that state, as well.

Thus, the developments likely bring an end -- without much change -- to Stein's weeks-long push to reexamine the results in all three states, which have traditionally voted Democratic but were carried by Trump en route to his shocking victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The results needed to have been overturned in each of the states to tip the election in Clinton's favor -- something experts always said was highly unlikely.

But Stein, who received less than 1 percent of the national vote, said the real goal of the effort has been to make sure computer hacking and other issues didn't compromise the election. Officials have said there is no evidence of such problems.

In Pennsylvania, U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond issued a stinging rejection of the Green Party's call to recount paper ballots and scan some counties' election systems for signs of hacking.

Diamond wrote that the suspicion of a hacked election in the state "borders on the irrational." He added that granting the recount would also "ensure that that no Pennsylvania vote counts" because of the upcoming deadline for states to certify their votes in the Electoral College.

"Most importantly, there is no credible evidence that any 'hack' occurred, and compelling evidence that Pennsylvania's voting system was not in any way compromised," wrote Diamond, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, a Republican.

Pennsylvania officials certified the results of the election just hours after Diamond's decision.

Trump, a former Atlantic City casino tycoon, beat Clinton by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast in the state, or less than 1 percent, according to the final tally after weeks of counting provisional and overseas ballots.

Lawyers for the Green Party argued that Pennsylvania's heavy use of paperless machines make it a prime target for election problems. Stein also contends that Pennsylvania has erected unconstitutional barriers to voters seeking a recount.

A lawyer for the Green Party said Monday that the party's leaders were disappointed and unable to immediately say whether they would appeal.

"But one thing is clear," attorney Ilann Maazel added. "The Pennsylvania election system is not fair to voters and voters don't know if their votes counted, and that's a very large problem."

Stein also addressed Monday's developments in statements she shared on social media:

Pennsylvania's arcane election system disenfranchises voters of color—that's a national disgrace. #Recount2016 https://t.co/ZlnSWZUiET — Dr. Jill Stein🌻 (@DrJillStein) December 12, 2016

#Recount2016 attempted to validate the vote and restore confidence in our voting system to worried Americans. https://t.co/ZXCLhJo4ca — Dr. Jill Stein🌻 (@DrJillStein) December 12, 2016

"This recount was never about changing the outcome," Stein said in one statement. "It was about validating the vote and restoring confidence in our voting system to Americans across the country who have doubts."

In Wisconsin, the recount changed the results by a mere 0.06 percent, in Trump's favor. The real estate mogul beat Clinton there by nearly 23,000 votes.

Michigan was the state with the closest vote. Trump won there by fewer than 11,000 votes out of nearly 4.8 million votes cast.

Trump and the Republican Party opposed Stein's push for recount. Trump has accused Stein, who raised more than $7 million to fund the effort, of perpetrating a scam to pad her coffers and bolster the Green Party's donor list -- a charge Stein has vehemently denied.

Trump touted the Wisconsin recount results in a Twitter post Monday:

The final Wisconsin vote is in and guess what - we just picked up an additional 131 votes. The Dems and Green Party can now rest. Scam! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.