The sad saga of P'nut the rescue squirrel captured the country's attention last month after the lovable online sensation was seized and euthanized by authorities in New York state.

Last week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch used the tragic story of the late rodent to illustrate what he believes is the scourge of governmental overreach that currently plagues the nation, as The Hill reports.

The P'nut analogy

It was during the Federalist Society's annual gala dinner on Thursday that Gorsuch offered attendees his thoughts on sweeping government overreach and the everyday impact it can have.

Speaking to an assemblage of prominent conservative attorneys, the high court justice drew on current events to make his point.

“I've just seen too many cases like that. You have just the other day, some of you might have seen one in the newspaper, if the newspapers are to be believed,” Gorsuch began.

The esteemed justice then jocularly continued, “Yes, I'm speaking of P'nut the squirrel,” referencing the Instagram-famous pet whose demise stirred public outrage in October.

Having made his point about oppressive government overreach as exemplified by the execution of P'nut over the possibility of rabies (which he was posthumously found not to have had), Gorsuch joked about rumors that the squirrel's owner was involved with adult websites, stating, “I'm not aware of any allegation that P'nut was involved in any of those acts.”

Conservative rallying cry

The story of P'nut became a rallying cry of sorts not just for the likes of Gorusch, but also for conservatives everywhere who have been calling for limited government and an end to what many view as the excesses of the administrative state as exemplified, in this case, by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Describing what happened during the raid on his home, P'nut's owner, Mark Longo, said, “The DEC showed up in my house and issued me a search warrant for a squirrel and a raccoon. They raided my house as if I was a drug dealer or something.”

Longo continued, “It is the most shocking thing I have ever seen or witnessed in my life.”

Even billionaire Elon Musk lamented the scenario that unfolded, holding forth on the matter during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, as Newsweek noted.

“How can it be that we live in America, supposedly the land of the free, and the government can barge into your home with guns, so if you resist, you're gonna get shot, and then take your pets and execute them?” Musk wondered.

Tipping the scales?

In an interview with the New York Post Longo subsequently suggested that the story of P'nut's death may have helped Donald Trump secure a win on Nov. 5, saying, “Maybe P'nut played a part in his victory. I'm not quite sure. I'll never know but I would like to keep a little piece of me knowing that [P'nut] might have made a change here, and that's what I want the most” and adding that he would be honored for the president-elect to visit his animal sanctuary.

Gorsuch, in his remarks to the Federalist Society dinner, also referenced Trump's landslide achievement, telling the group of attorneys in attendance, “Some of you work in federal agencies, state agencies. Some of you might be about to,” and given the ideological disposition of most in the crowd, that is an encouraging prospect, indeed.