‘You Can’t Change My Hypothetical!’: Justice Gorsuch Spats with Attorney over Mail-In Ballots

Well I want to ░░░░░░░░ you about the recall ░░░░░░░░ Um and before I ░░░░░░░░ to that throughout your ░░░░░░░░ you say that this ░░░░░░░░ the federal statute does ░░░░░░░░ voters to submit their ░░░░░░░░ to election officials on ░░░░░░░░ Day must be cast ░░░░░░░░ Election Day and that ░░░░░░░░ and that the Election ░░░░░░░░ is the day to ░░░░░░░░ and consummate the election ░░░░░░░░ a final selection You ░░░░░░░░ with all those statements ░░░░░░░░ your brief gt gt ░░░░░░░░ gt gt Okay But ░░░░░░░░ the same time you ░░░░░░░░ Actually it doesn t ░░░░░░░░ to be submitted to ░░░░░░░░ election clears throat official ░░░░░░░░ just has to be ░░░░░░░░ to a common carrier ░░░░░░░░ there s a contradiction ░░░░░░░░ that um I I ░░░░░░░░ want you to first ░░░░░░░░ and then I ll ░░░░░░░░ you my hypothetical gt ░░░░░░░░ Very good your honor ░░░░░░░░ I I think when ░░░░░░░░ put something in the ░░░░░░░░ you re not I ░░░░░░░░ gt gt that s ░░░░░░░░ an election official FedEx ░░░░░░░░ t an election official ░░░░░░░░ gt right But the ░░░░░░░░ certainly is the person ░░░░░░░░ you re submitting submitting ░░░░░░░░ in the mail to ░░░░░░░░ mean that is that ░░░░░░░░ the gt gt course ░░░░░░░░ right your honor and ░░░░░░░░ I think gt gt ░░░░░░░░ submit it to FedEx ░░░░░░░░ they deliver it to ░░░░░░░░ election official but but ░░░░░░░░ say it has to ░░░░░░░░ submitted to an election ░░░░░░░░ throughout your brief but ░░░░░░░░ you say a common ░░░░░░░░ is okay and uh ░░░░░░░░ those two things don ░░░░░░░░ add up gt gt ░░░░░░░░ I think the difference ░░░░░░░░ say you know sending ░░░░░░░░ to your brother versus ░░░░░░░░ it to the registar ░░░░░░░░ gt Well we already ░░░░░░░░ with that The brother ░░░░░░░░ out to be okay ░░░░░░░░ long as the state ░░░░░░░░ so You gt gt ░░░░░░░░ think that s okay ░░░░░░░░ their view You re ░░░░░░░░ a little more more ░░░░░░░░ gt gt Well you ░░░░░░░░ think you already answered ░░░░░░░░ one So So here ░░░░░░░░ the hypo Let s ░░░░░░░░ you have a state ░░░░░░░░ a large portion of ░░░░░░░░ electorate mails in their ░░░░░░░░ on or close to ░░░░░░░░ Day Not far fetched ░░░░░░░░ states are like that ░░░░░░░░ the day after the ░░░░░░░░ a story breaks that ░░░░░░░░ of the lead candidates ░░░░░░░░ in an inappropriate sexual ░░░░░░░░ or perhaps is concluding ░░░░░░░░ a foreign power Again ░░░░░░░░ far fetched I think ░░░░░░░░ the competing candidate immediately ░░░░░░░░ on the airwaves and ░░░░░░░░ voters to recall their ░░░░░░░░ and and and to ░░░░░░░░ the common carriers not ░░░░░░░░ deliver them and many ░░░░░░░░ carriers will do that ░░░░░░░░ anything that you sent ░░░░░░░░ the through them FedEx ░░░░░░░░ just call them up ░░░░░░░░ say I want it ░░░░░░░░ um in that hypothetical ░░░░░░░░ the election happen on ░░░░░░░░ Day oh by the ░░░░░░░░ it swings the election ░░░░░░░░ gt so uh the ░░░░░░░░ election did happen on ░░░░░░░░ Election Day Justice Gorsuch ░░░░░░░░ as we ve to ░░░░░░░░ Our ballot does not ░░░░░░░░ using mail recall anything ░░░░░░░░ that When somebody submits ░░░░░░░░ ballot gt gt just ░░░░░░░░ first deal with my ░░░░░░░░ and then I ll ░░░░░░░░ with your statute gt ░░░░░░░░ Okay The the the ░░░░░░░░ happened on Election Day ░░░░░░░░ s gt gt even ░░░░░░░░ it changes the outcome ░░░░░░░░ gt I mean I ░░░░░░░░ think gt gt it ░░░░░░░░ to be your answer ░░░░░░░░ t it gt gt ░░░░░░░░ mean yes your I ░░░░░░░░ just I I I ░░░░░░░░ to be clear about ░░░░░░░░ All right gt gt ░░░░░░░░ are not agreeing that ░░░░░░░░ outcome can be properly ░░░░░░░░ in that circumstance gt ░░░░░░░░ Well hold on It ░░░░░░░░ in my circum in ░░░░░░░░ hypothetical You can t ░░░░░░░░ my hypothetical counsel gt ░░░░░░░░ And I m just ░░░░░░░░ it s unlawful your ░░░░░░░░ I I don t ░░░░░░░░ to hypothetical I m ░░░░░░░░ saying that that it ░░░░░░░░ an unlawful circumstance because ░░░░░░░░ don t allow ballot ░░░░░░░░ gt Oh in Mississippi ░░░░░░░░ But but that hypothetical ░░░░░░░░ happen in another state ░░░░░░░░ gt gt I think ░░░░░░░░ the state is not ░░░░░░░░ that on mailing there ░░░░░░░░ a final choice made ░░░░░░░░ think that would be ░░░░░░░░ problem with that law ░░░░░░░░ the gt gt statute ░░░░░░░░ you say your statute ░░░░░░░░ re you re you ░░░░░░░░ different You admit my ░░░░░░░░ could happen but you ░░░░░░░░ it can t happen ░░░░░░░░ Mississippi because recall is ░░░░░░░░ allowed I couldn t ░░░░░░░░ that anywhere in Mississippi ░░░░░░░░ In fact what I ░░░░░░░░ see was a statute ░░░░░░░░ says uh that you ░░░░░░░░ that the secretary of ░░░░░░░░ can promulgate rules and ░░░░░░░░ That s 23156 373 ░░░░░░░░ then I went and ░░░░░░░░ at the regulations and ░░░░░░░░ 2 1 says that ░░░░░░░░ absentee ballot is the ░░░░░░░░ vote of a voter ░░░░░░░░ the ballot is marked ░░░░░░░░ That doesn t preclude ░░░░░░░░ gt gt And gt ░░░░░░░░ in fact that allows ░░░░░░░░ gt gt I I ░░░░░░░░ don t I respectfully ░░░░░░░░ t agree with that ░░░░░░░░ honor I mean gt ░░░░░░░░ where where does it ░░░░░░░░ recall is not permitted ░░░░░░░░ couldn t find that ░░░░░░░░ in your statutes or ░░░░░░░░ rule gt gt And ░░░░░░░░ think by providing that ░░░░░░░░ are final when cast ░░░░░░░░ our stat gt gt ░░░░░░░░ it doesn t It ░░░░░░░░ they re they re ░░░░░░░░ when marked accepted gt ░░░░░░░░ That s the regulation ░░░░░░░░ honor gt gt Yeah ░░░░░░░░ gt gt And gt ░░░░░░░░ it s your regulation ░░░░░░░░ gt and it allows ░░░░░░░░ gt gt It does ░░░░░░░░ respectfully it does not ░░░░░░░░ recall Your honor the ░░░░░░░░ gt gt Tell me ░░░░░░░░ Would you read to ░░░░░░░░ the provision that precludes ░░░░░░░░ gt gt It s ░░░░░░░░ s subsection three of ░░░░░░░░ statute that my friends ░░░░░░░░ gt gt I read ░░░░░░░░ se subsection 3 that ░░░░░░░░ the secretary of state ░░░░░░░░ make rules and then ░░░░░░░░ read you the rule ░░░░░░░░ gt to ensure that ░░░░░░░░ ballots are final when ░░░░░░░░ The the the key ░░░░░░░░ are final when cast ░░░░░░░░ says the no votes ░░░░░░░░ by an absentee ballot ░░░░░░░░ the absentee ballot person ░░░░░░░░ absentee vote is final ░░░░░░░░ can make rules about ░░░░░░░░ they re final And ░░░░░░░░ the rule says is ░░░░░░░░ is final when marked ░░░░░░░░ gt gt And that ░░░░░░░░ I mean it s ░░░░░░░░ to a processing rule ░░░░░░░░ what to do when ░░░░░░░░ s uh you when ░░░░░░░░ s ballot potentially doesn ░░░░░░░░ arrive on time They ░░░░░░░░ an affidavit ballot But ░░░░░░░░ would come back to ░░░░░░░░ the text of the ░░░░░░░░ You re on Final ░░░░░░░░ is is what our