Posted on 04/13/2009 4:37:37 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
Over five months after the election, a three-judge panel has declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of the Minnesota U.S. Senate race.
The judges issued their final ruling late Monday, stating "Franken received the highest number of lawfully cast ballots in the Nov. 4, 2008 general election."
They also have determined that Franken is entitled to receive the certificate of election.
Last week, Republican Norm Coleman suffered a blow after a few hundred previously rejected absentee ballots were opened and counted at the tail end of Coleman's lawsuit contesting his loss in a statewide recount. They broke almost 2-to-1 for Franken to pad his lead to 312.
Outside the courtroom, Coleman attorney Ben Ginsberg minimized the new margin because his side was certain to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
"What happened today in the sphere of this election is really inconsequential," he said. "There's a much larger universe of ballots that should be opened."
Ginsberg said he hopes the high court would reinstate as many as 4,800 absentee ballots rejected by local officials.
Top Franken attorney Marc Elias said he doubted an appeal would change things.
"The problem that former Senator Coleman has is he lost fair and square," Elias said. "He lost because more people voted for Al Franken than voted for Norm Coleman. No amount of lawyering or sophisticated legal arguments is going to change that."
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat, said he would welcome an appeal, saying he thinks the state's highest court could provide closure.
The appeal must come within 10 days after the final order from the three-judge panel that presided over the seven-week trial.
I am just telling you what Judge Napalitano said... he could be wrong... I have no idea.
LLS
Considering what we already have in the senate, I’d say he is well qualified.
No, he doesn’t. The seat is vacant and will be until this is resolved. We must fight the ‘rats on this. Take it to the Supreme Court, Norm! I’m willing to pitch in a few bucks.
This once was the only state to vote against Ronald Reagan. Can it get more stupid than Minnesota? Idiots! God, how I wish Texas could leave this dumb-ass country.
Trash prevails in DC.....yet again.
Coleman.
They can’t read.
ACORN and ‘rat stacked courts.
He doesn’t sit there now....and hasn’t since everybody else got sworn in. He was moved out of DC and resides in MN.....
Me too... I was just repeating what Judge Napalitano said about this... I have no idea.
LLS
Napolitano is wrong. At present, we have one senator, Amy “Gosh Golly” Klobuchar. (barf)
Judges...is there anything we won’t let them do?
The Secretary of State Offices throughout the country were targeted, as they are the gatekeepers for election processes.
*ding* *ding* *ding*
We have a winner!
You wrote:
“God, how I wish Texas could leave this dumb-ass country.”
I would rather have Texas launch an airborne invasion of Minnesota. Maybe we could trade Minnesota to Canada for British Columbia?
He does have that problem with his temper.....
Minn. is a left of center state.
You arn’t going to have a pure conservative.
Just like we will never have a conservative or near one
as Gov. or Sen. here in Calif.
I give Coleman credit for his stands in such a liberal state. I wish he was our Sen. in Calif.
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