Coleman-Franken Fight Heads to Minn.'s Top Court

(NEWSER) - The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of Democrat Al Franken in the Senate election battle there, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The court decided that Republican Norm Coleman’s challenge of a lower court’s ruling did not merit reconsideration, the Pioneer Press adds. Though Coleman may bring the dispute to a federal court—or even the Supreme Court—that is not necessarily a barrier to Franken being seated. More»

But decision could take months

(NEWSER) - Minnesota’s Supreme Court will hear arguments today in the Senate seat dispute between Al Franken and Norm Coleman, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. If the court goes Franken’s way, he could be seated in Washington; if the five justices find for Coleman, “recounting-type” hurdles will remain before he could head to DC, said a legal expert. The decision could come in days—or months. More»

Franken picks Senate staffers as rival refuses to concede

(NEWSER) - Embattled former senator Norm Coleman is keeping alive the last fight of Election 2008 with an appeal to Minnesota's Supreme Court, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Coleman is arguing that a lower court that awarded Al Franken a 312-vote victory denied constituents their constitutional rights by rejecting some absentee ballots. Franken, meanwhile, has started picking his Senate staffers. More»

(NEWSER) - Democrats have widened their campaign against Norm Coleman to include a radio ad urging him to concede to Al Franken, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. “Minnesota deserves two senators and voters deserve to have their verdict stand,” says the ad, produced by the DNC. “Call Norm Coleman,” the ad concludes. “Tell him that it is time to concede.” More»

Numbers don't add up in improbable challenge: Silver

(NEWSER) - Norm Coleman’s chances of victory are so thin they’ve entered “Calista Flockhart territory,” yet he shows no sign of winding down his expensive legal battle, writes Nate Silver, the stat guru behind FiveThirtyEight.com. Just how expensive? Silver estimates that Coleman’s spending about $20,740 a day to pay his lawyers and keep his campaign running. And Silver doesn’t think he’s getting his money’s worth. More»