Fox News noted that Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey's narrow election loss to Republican challenger David McCormick triggered an automatic recount under state law.

While some Democratic county officials signaled that they would count illegal ballots, Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has countered with a bombshell announcement. 

Bucks County commissioner: "People violate laws anytime they want"

As Fox News reported, some election officials indicated this month that they would count ballots which lacked signatures and dates despite them being legally invalid.

One of them is Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, who said last week, "I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country."

🚨🚨🚨#BucksCounty Democrat Commissioners violate the rule of law and ignore PA Supreme Court ruling!

Democrat Commissioners Diane Marseglia and Bob Harvie voted today to count illegal ballots, against PA Supreme Court ruling, in an attempt to aid former Senator Bob Casey.… pic.twitter.com/qAdFlVchmh

— Bucks GOP (@BucksGOP) November 14, 2024

"People violate laws anytime they want," she continued. "So, for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention. There’s nothing more important than counting votes."

State Supreme Court sides with GOP in lawsuit

However, Breitbart pointed out that this brought a legal challenge from the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

Their lawsuit complained that Bucks County was counting undated and unsigned ballots even though "even though its legal advisers recommended rejecting the ballots 'based on the current state of the law.'"

In response, Pennsylvania's highest judicial body issued a ruling on Monday which stated that "mail-in and absentee ballots that fail to comply with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Election Code, see 25 P.S. §§ 3146.6(a), 3150.16(a), SHALL NOT BE COUNTED for purposes of the election held on November 5, 2024."

Monday's opinion was accompanied by a concurring statement from Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Brobson.

Republicans set to hold 53 seats in the Senate

Brobson wrote that the ruling was needed "to disabuse local elections officials of the notion that they have the authority to ignore Election Code provisions that they believe are unconstitutional."

"Indeed, this Court has held that administrative agencies, like county boards of elections, lack the authority to declare unconstitutional the very statutes from which they derive their existence and which they are charged to enforce," he stressed.

Should the recount ultimately confirm McCormick's victory, then Republicans will have control a total of 53 seats in the Senate.