PHILADELPHIA — Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis was ordered back on the ballot in a New Jersey state Senate election by a federal appeals court yesterday.

The ruling is possibly the final word in an ongoing court drama over whether the political newcomer would meet a four-year residency requirement for state senators.

The drama played out in a series of court rulings that began rolling out not long after Lewis declared his candidacy in April. He bounced between being on the ballot and off it for months.

Mark Sheridan, a lawyer representing Burlington County Republicans who sought to keep Lewis off the ballot, said his clients would appeal the ruling.

Lewis bought homes in New Jersey in 2005 and 2007, but he continued to vote in California through 2009 and registered to vote in New Jersey only this year.