Senate recount trial: Judges' ruling is boon to Franken

Star Tribune ^ | March 31, 2009 - 11:01 PM | Pat Doyle, Kevin Duchschere

[flattorney]

- - Absentee ballots to be counted will be far fewer than Coleman sought in effort to close the U.S. Senate gap.

Abstract: Norm Coleman's lawyers all but conceded defeat Tuesday and promised to appeal after a panel of three judges ordered no more than 400 new absentee ballots opened and counted, far fewer than the Republican had sought to overcome the lead held by DFLer Al Franken. The ballots include many that Franken had identified as wrongly rejected as well as ballots that Coleman wanted opened in his quest to overcome the 225-vote lead that Franken gained after a recount in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race. Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg acknowledged that the Republican may have lost the seven-week trial and was prepared to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The ruling is not a final order and it's not clear for which candidate the ballots were cast. The three-judge panel ordered the ballots delivered to the Secretary of State's Office by April 6 and those deemed legal to be opened and counted April 7 in the Supreme Court room at the Minnesota Judicial Center. After a final order is issued by the judges, possibly next week, the losing candidate has 10 days to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

[flattorney]

The Supreme Court has said all state appeals must be exhausted before a winner can be certified. But Coleman hasn't ruled out a federal appeal, which could delay a final resolution for additional months. Ginsberg would not comment on whether the campaign might launch a separate federal court appeal. But Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has recently said a legal battle could go on for years. Brian Walsh, a spokesman for Cornyn, issued a statement Tuesday in support of Coleman: "The NRSC has and will continue to support Norm Coleman's efforts to ensure that thousands of Minnesotans are not disenfranchised, that ballots exist before they are counted, and that every legitimate vote that was cast is counted once in Minnesota."

400 Absentee Ballots to be Counted April 7th.
Court Ruling PDF Document

Minneapolis Star Tribune (Endorses Coleman) Senate Recount | Live Video
Minnesota Democrats Exposes | The Uptake | MN Public Radio Coverage
Minneapolis-St. Paul TV Stations: NBC | CBS | ABC | FOX
~ Minnesota U.S. Senate Election Fiasco ~
FR Keywords: Norm Coleman(R) | Al Franken(D)
Franken: SorosBoy | Porn-O-Rama! Sicko | Endorsed by Al “Globull Fraud” Gore
Coleman-GOP Election Recount Legal Action(s) | MN Sec. of State Mark "Commie Soros Puppet" Ritchie
"The Dirt": Arianna Huffington was Franken's Secret Video Sex 'Ho - Post 2

MAR

[Chet 99]

It is hopeless if all Coleman is doing is challenging piles of ballots here and there. The argument should be that the election was so close, and the recount process was so flawed, that the only equitable result is to order a new election.. but I am not sure if such an outcome would be allowed under MN law.

It seems like Coleman has had a rotten legal team from the outset of this mess.

[DemforBush]

This is such bulls**t. I was never that big on Coleman, but what has been done to him in the vote count and recount is just plain wrong. Suspicious ballots, sketchy rulings, the works.

BTW, you can bet the farm that if Franken ends up winning, he will quickly take the crown for most liberal voting record in the Senate.

[JLS]

What has been done there is what they tried to do in FL 2000 to G.W. Bush. Count until they get a count with the Dim ahead and then stop.

[RJL]

It seems like Coleman has had a rotten legal team from the outset of this mess.

Perhaps, but I think the real problem is that Norm was playing "Prevent Defense" while the Democrats were still creating votes.

For Norm to have had any chance, he needed to be creating two votes for every vote that the Democrats created.

[Roccus]

Anyone who has any faith in the honesty and integrity of the election system in this nation is, at best, a fool.

[Theodore R.]

I don’t know if the problem is Coleman himself and his natural hesitancy to protect his votes, or his legal team, or the state of MN, or the MN voters, or all of the above. Conservatives can never expect much out of MN.

[Theodore R.]

There are so many liberals in the Senate,it would be a 50-way tie for most liberal member.

[CMailBag]

I thought this was the United States where we count ALL the votes—period.

[wmileo]

The best thing that could happen for the country is for Franken to become the new junior U.S. Senator. Six years of his shenanigans and the Democrats will wish they never heard of Al Franken.

[wolfcreek]

“Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right. Here I am...”

[LibLieSlayer]

It seems that the entire State is corrupt to me.

LLS

[TMA62]

This election and vote count/recount has been flaudulent, pure and simple. A new election should be done.

If Coleman is deemed to not have enough votes by these leagle beagles, he should simply NOT concede defeat and tell all Minnesotans that this senatoral election results are fraudulent, tainted and contaminated. That the best way is to have a new election.

[neodad]

What does it matter anyway? We all thought the fillibuster would save us. Thanks to Snowe and Collins, they already have a fillibuster proof majority.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

That’s right. But the truth is that while some are counting and recounting, the tyrants behind the scenes are making new ballots and putting them in trunks, back closets, etc., so that they can suddenly be “found.”

Violence has erupted over far less than this in democracies.

[KansasGirl]

[What has been done there is what they tried to do in FL 2000 to G.W. Bush.]

They didn’t try. That’s exactly what they did. They counted questionable Franken votes and not questionable Coleman votes. Any votes that may have been meant for Franken and any vote that may have been meant for Franken or Coleman was given to Franken.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Coleman won this race and it was stolen.

[behzinlea]

Coleman needs to fight this in every venue open to him, delay it as long as possible. Ensure that if it happens, Al Frankenass comes in under as big a cloud as possible.

[rwfromkansas]

No way Coleman pulls it out with that small a number.

Fraken will be seated. Lost another one.

[Blood of Tyrants]

After the ruling in Florida in 2000 by the Supreme Court, I do believe that there is the only place that Coleman will get justice. I believe that they will rule that the count process was flawed and order a new recount with the same rules for all counters.

[WOSG]

“It is hopeless if all Coleman is doing is challenging piles of ballots here and there. The argument should be that the election was so close, and the recount process was so flawed, that the only equitable result is to order a new election..”

Dangerous precedent. Even close elections dont result in a ‘do over’, that’s a Democrat idea.

This election was stolen by Franken, fair and square. Congrats, you franken-putz!