Minnesota Supreme Court

Al Franken is ready to get to work in Washington. That was the message of the senator-elect at his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled last week that he won the U.S. Senate contest. “I am going to work day and night to make sure that our kids have a great future and that America’s best days lay ahead,” Franken said in a brief, mid-day appearance with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Al Franken will become Minnesota’s junior senator — and everyone wants to weigh in on the development. Here’s a round-up of the latest statements about the end of the bruising U.S. Senate contest. We’ll continue to update as reactions come in.

Norm Coleman has conceded. The former senator called Al Franken this afternoon to congratulate him on his victory nearly eight months after election day. The concession came shortly after the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a ruling naming Franken the winner in the protracted contest.

Minnesota’s interminable U.S. Senate race may finally be over. More than seven months after election day, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today that Democrat Al Franken prevailed by 312 votes over Republican Norm Coleman. Franken will almost certainly now become Minnesota’s junior senator. The court, however, did not explicitly order Gov. Tim Pawlenty to sign an election certificate.

Rep. Tim Walz reacted to the decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court in favor of Al Franken praising Minnesota’s election process and urging Gov. Tim Pawlenty to issue and sign an election certificate naming Franken the winner. Here is Walz’ full statement:

A decision in the Norm Coleman-Al Franken Senate dispute could come any day, any hour, any second — each one dutifully counted by court-watchers as it passes. But whenever a ruling arrives, it won’t be soon enough for some who are letting loose with cries of “overdue” and “constipated.”

Could the U.S. Senate contest finally be over tomorrow? Politics in Minnesota’s Dan Feidt, citing information from two sources on both sides of the legal tussle, suggests that Thursday is the day the Minnesota Supreme Court will rule on Norm Coleman’s appeal. The ruling is expected to be released between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. [...]

Norm Coleman owes Al Franken $94,783.15 for court costs. That was the determination of the Ramsey County Court Administrator today. The three-judge panel that heard the U.S. Senate election contest ruled that because Coleman lost he is responsible for covering his opponent’s court costs.

The end is near in the U.S. Senate contest. That might seem difficult to believe given that the fight has now dragged on for nearly seven months, but the bottom line is that Norm Coleman is running out of legal options.

In what could be the last time the forces of Al Franken and Norm Coleman clash within the same room, the drama at yesterday’s state Supreme Court hearing didn’t disappoint.