These counties were ordered to not count illegal ballots after election officials voted to count ballots missing dates — in other words, ballots that did not comply with require

The ruling is a major victory for Republican Senate candidate David McCormick, who holds a very narrow lead over Democratic Sen. Bob Casey ahead of a statewide recount.

The decision came after officials in at least four counties had ignored the court’s pre-election guidance not to count mail ballots that were undated or misdated.

Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court is weighing in on a flashpoint amid ongoing vote counting in the U.S. Senate election between Democratic Sen.

The ruling comes after several Philly-area counties defied the court's previous guidance. The issue has come under close scrutiny as the race between Bob Casey and Dave McCormick undergoes a recount.

"County officials in each of our 67 counties were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t – likely facing legal action no matter which decision they made on counting," Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday rebuked Democratic-controlled elections boards that counted undated and misdated mail ballots, siding with Republicans and reiterating that such votes are invalid.