FILE PHOTO: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore pauses as he addresses supporters at his election night party in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S., December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Alabama judge on Thursday rejected Republican Roy Moore’s bid to halt the certification of Democrat Doug Jones as the winner of Alabama’s U.S. Senate special election earlier this month, according to Alabama election officials.

The judge denied Moore’s request to block certification of the results from the Dec. 12 election in a decision shortly before state officials were set to meet to finalize the results, said John Bennett, a spokesman for the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.