Norm Coleman loses; will appeal

April 8, 9:48 AMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

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Blue beating red

The official ruling that Al Franken beat Norm Coleman in Minnesota's senate race has not been issued but it will be either this week or the next.

A clearly agitated Ben Ginsberg, a lawyer and spokesman for Landslide Norm Coleman, reiterated the belief that Landslide Coleman will appeal TheThreeJudges' decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

We will be appealing this to the Minnesota Supreme Court -- Ben Ginsberg

Landslide Norm's lawyers believe in a loose interpretation of the law as it applies to filling out the absentee ballots, allowing the voter to make minor errors as long as their intent was obvious. The court disagreed.

It is likely that the Minnesota Supreme Court will be asked to consider Landslide Norm's argument that different standards were applied from county to county thereby failing to provide equal protection to those who chose to vote absentee. Again, the lower court said "no".

I know it seems it’s gone on for a long time already, but this could go on for a long time. Appeals take months, if not years, sometimes -- Sen. John Cornyn, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee

It is Landslide Norm Coleman's decision if he will appeal but the Republican leadership in Washington are willing to do anything necessary to prolong the trials hoping that Landslide Norm can find a victory in another court or at the very least keep the senate seat unoccupied for as long as they can.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritche must both sign the election certificate and the Minnesota law is muddled. Secretary Ritchie has stated that he will sign the election certificate after all state contests are resolved. Tim Pawlenty may side with the Republican leadership in Washington that will assert that the certificate not be signed until all state and federal appeals are exhausted.

The official ruling will be handed down either this week or the next whereupon Landslide Norm Coleman has ten days to decide if he wants to press forward with an appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

When you contest the results of an election, and you lose ground, you ought to know time is up. The people have spoken, and now that the courts have spoken, Norm Coleman ought to let the process of seating a senator go forward -- New York Sen. Charles Schumer Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2008 election cycle

As of today, Judges Elizabeth Hayden, Kurt Marben and Denise Reilly will rule that an election certificate be issued to Landslide Al Franken as the winner of the senate election by 312 votes. It is a razor thin margin from the nearly 3 million votes cast on Nov. 4, 2008.

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