The decision to delay the meeting prolongs the drama and confusion hanging over the nearly evenly split House just weeks before the General Assembly convenes Jan. 10. Democrats picked up 15 other GOP-held seats in the Nov. 7 elections, wiping out what had been a 66-34 majority. Barring other developments, if Simonds were to prevail in the 94th District, the House would be split 50-50. If Yancey is the winner, Republicans would have a 51-49 majority.

The recount court has already declared Yancey and Simonds tied with 11,608 votes each, but Simonds’ filing asks the court to nullify its order and declare her the winner according to the one-vote margin she had when the recount appeared to be over.

“My opponent didn’t like the outcome,” Simonds said Tuesday on a conference call announcing the legal challenge. “So he made an end run around clear rules of the recount.”