CNN
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A Democratic election official in Pennsylvania issued an impassioned apology Wednesday for claiming that “court precedent no longer matters in this country” to justify counting about 600 erroneous ballots, defying Supreme Court rulings stands.

“The passion in my heart got the best of me and I apologize again for that,” Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said before a fiery crowd at a county meeting.

“I made a mistake and because I am an elected official, I am held to a much higher standard than everyone else. So to the citizens I serve, I apologize, and I will continue to work hard for you and try not to make such a mistake again.”

Ellis-Marseglia said she received expletive-laden criticism and death threats in response to her previous comments. She also said other county employees have been inundated with threats.

During her apology, Ellis-Marseglia was heckled in the packed auditorium – which included many supporters of newly elected President Donald Trump – with some holding up signs that read “tyrant.” Others called for her resignation and prosecution, accusing her of illegally counting votes to help Democrats hold onto a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Her previous comments about ignoring court precedent became popular on social media and were widely promoted by Trump allies such as Elon Musk.

Ellis-Marseglia and another Democrat on the three-member panel voted to count misdated ballots and unsigned provisional ballots over the objections of the county’s only Republican commissioner, the county attorney, and in defiance of the top state court, which ruled before the election. that ballots with these defects are invalid.

This comes amid a closely watched recount in the battle for the US Senate between Democratic Senator Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick, who leads by about 17,000 votes. CNN has not made a projection in that race.

“I think we all know that court precedent doesn’t matter in this country anymore, and people break laws whenever they want,” Ellis-Marseglia said at a rally last week. “So for me, if I break this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it. There is nothing more important than counting votes.”

Ellis-Marseglia and the other Democratic commissioner, Robert Harvie, justified their actions by arguing that they did not want to disenfranchise voters, and that the matter would certainly be resolved by the courts. According to them, the approximately six hundred incorrect ballots were only missing a date or signature because voters were not given clear instructions.

On Wednesday, Ellis-Marseglia said her earlier comment that precedent “doesn’t matter” was a reference to the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which drew groans from the crowd.

In response to a lawsuit from the McCormick campaign, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday ordered counties to abide by previous rulings on the undated ballots. Some judges condemned officials from Bucks and other provinces for subverting the “rule of law.”

Republican officials in battleground states across the country have come under scrutiny this election season over fears they could ignore laws surrounding election processes, such as certifying election results.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro also spoke out this week about counties that appear to be defying the state’s highest court.

“As we move forward, I want to be clear: any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or don’t matter is irresponsible and undermines confidence in our electoral process,” Shapiro said in a statement Monday.

Patricia Poprik, chair of the Bucks County Republican Party, said Wednesday that the board’s actions overshadowed the hard work of the county’s election workers.

Poprik has cast doubt on the 2020 results and served as a fake voter for Trump. But ahead of this year’s presidential election, Poprik told CNN she had confidence in the process after local election officials were transparent and walked her and others through the entire system for processing and counting ballots.

On Wednesday she was critical again.

“There is something wrong with the way we organize elections in this province,” Poprik said. “Now it has become a joke and a shame.”

CNN’s Danny Freeman contributed to this report.