election contest

We knew she was killing, as in funny. Now it turns out Sen. Amy Klobuchar is also knowing, as in clairvoyant. Her prediction two months ago about when she’d gain a home-state companion in the U.S. Senate was within 42 minutes of a court ruling that Franken won. UPDATED with new video clip from Rachel Maddow’s show. UPDATED again with video of Klobuchar on CNN.

Three election-law experts who have been closely tracking the Norm Coleman-Al Franken contest for U.S. Senate weigh in today with written reactions to the final order (pdf) from the three-judge panel that heard Coleman’s complaint. All admired the order for its unanimity and deft handling of Coleman’s equal-protection claims.

“I am honored and humbled by this close victory,” Al Franken announced to reporters from his townhouse stoop in downtown Minneapolis Monday night. Asked about Norm Coleman’s pledge to appeal the Monday court order that confirmed Franken’s recount win, the Democrat said, “I believe I will be certified” as U.S. Senator.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he might not sign an election certificate to seat Democrat Al Franken or Republican Norm Coleman in the U.S. Senate, even after the Minnesota Supreme Court is done with the disputed election.
“I also would want to look at what the courts did with the case in terms of leaving issues for [...]

Three announcements from Minnesota courts this afternoon: First, there won’t be a ruling today on Norm Coleman’s legal challenge to the Senate-election recount that Al Franken won. Second, however, the three-judge panel now deliberating did throw out a separate voters’ suit in the matter (pdf). Third, there will be a special May 6 Minnesota Supreme Court [...]

Despite mass arrests at this peepful protest against the Republican National Convention (submitted to the Pioneer Press’ Peeps Diorama Contest), all of the blue and brown peeps’ charges against the pink, yellow and light-green peeps have been dropped. After the jump, a speech-balloon version of the popular Senate election-contest trial scene, and selections from the ABA [...]

The danger of paper cuts was greater than the chance that Al Franken would lose his 225-vote lead to Norm Coleman today as Minnesota officials ripped open 351 more ballots from last year’s U.S. senate race in front of the state’s election-contest court. Franken increased his lead by 87 votes. “I think we are done,” said Franken attorney Marc Elias afterward.

Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann says he has no regrets about voting for Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley over Al Franken. But his ticket-splitting raises the question of what role DFL voters played in setting the stage for Minnesota’s recount drama. Political observers say Democrats who didn’t vote for Franken don’t have to take the blame. As one observer put it, “party loyalty isn’t what it used to be.”

Here’s a 16-minute video recap of Minnesota’s five-month slog (so far) to elect a new U.S. senator. It’s the work of those stalwart Franken-Coleman multimedia chroniclers at The UpTake.

Democrat Al Franken’s future now depends on how the three-judge panel presiding over Norm Coleman’s election contest trial handles the former Republican senator’s equal-protection claims, writes election law expert Ned Foley.