Democrats on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on Friday morning decided to allow former chairman Dave Woodward, who resigned his seat last week in hopes of being appointed Oakland County executive, to rescind his resignation.

WATCH LIVE: Oakland County Board of Commissioners meeting

The decision, which the GOP had fought and lost in Oakland County Circuit Court Friday afternoon when a judge denied granting an injunction to stop it, gives the Democrats the majority on the county board in today's meeting to appoint an executive to replace L. Brooks Patterson, who died Aug. 3.

The GOP hoped to succeed in using the resignation letter Woodward filed with the Oakland County Clerk in its legal argument. "This shows what they're doing is fraud," Rocky Raczkowski, chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party said Friday morning, before the judge issued the ruling.

According to the six-page complaint filed in the case, "as a result of Woodward's formal resignation as a member of the Board, the Oakland County Human Resources department processed his resignation and shut off his county email."

But Circuit Judge Daniel P. O'Brien denied the injunction, allowing the hiring process to proceed, Oakland County Corporation Counsel Joellen Shortley told the Democrats during caucus Friday afternoon.

Allowing Woodward back on the board caps off two weeks of backroom politics and political infighting in Oakland County.

Woodward resigned on Aug. 7 so he could be appointed to executive until the 2020 election — leaving the board equally split among 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. Under state law, he had to resign from the board to be considered for the post.

Woodward's move drew protest from his Democratic rival, county Treasurer Andy Meisner, who is planning to run for the executive job.

Instead, acting Board Chairperson Marcia Gershenson, D-Bloomfield Township, cancelled the meeting where Woodward would have been appointed and opened the application process to the public. Five candidates were interviewed Wednesday.

During Friday's board meeting to choose among the five, tensions rose as the public reacted to the return of Woodward. During public comment, at least two speakers spoke in support of Woodward while four opposed the rescinding of his resignation.

The GOP's Raczkowski, raising his voice in the chamber, told the board, "If you flagrantly disregard the rules so that you can have an executive from your party, shame on you! Bring back some dignity to this process for the county employees who are sitting here. I would be saying the same thing if the Republicans did this to the Democrats."

On Thursday, Democrats said they had a legal opinion that indicated Woodward's resignation wasn't final because the county board never voted to accept it.

But the head of the Republican Party indicated in a letter to members that it would support the county board's Republican Caucus with the expenses to file an immediate restraining order with the Oakland County Circuit Court, asking for Woodward to be barred from taking a voting seat on the commission after he resigned with the county clerk.

On Wednesday, the county board's Republican caucus also slammed Meisner, who they accused of jockeying behind the scenes for the appointment while publicly criticizing the process.

Republicans also appeared to be rallying around appointing Gerald Poisson to continue as executive until the end of 2020. Poisson served as chief deputy executive under Patterson and was sworn in as executive hours after Patterson's death.

But Democrats, who have never held the county executive job and until this year haven’t had a majority on the county board for decades, are loath to pass up the opportunity to get one of their own leading the county, at least until the end of 2020.

The Detroit Free Press will be updating this story throughout the day.

More:Drama continues in Oakland County executive search: 'Backroom politics at its worst'

More:Top Republican says Dave Woodward rescinding resignation in Oakland County

More:Distressed worker covers Oakland County board chambers with olive oil

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Contact: blaitner@freepress.com