BREAKING: Minnesota's highest court rules for Al Franken
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/30/art.frankensmile0630.gi.jpg caption="The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of Al Franken Tuesday."]
(CNN) - Minnesota's Supreme Court has dismissed former Sen. Norm Coleman's challenge to the state's November election results and declared Democratic challenger Al Franken the winner.
The unanimous opinion ruled that Franken "received the highest number of votes legally cast" and is entitled "to receive the certificate of election as United States senator from the state of Minnesota."
The former "Saturday Night Live" writer and performer had declared victory in the disputed race after a recount ended in January, but Coleman - a Republican who had been seeking a second six-year term - went to court to challenge those results.
Coleman still could attempt to take the challenge to federal courts, but Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, told CNN on Sunday that he would sign Franken's election certificate if the Supreme Court ordered it.
Updated: 2:25 p.m.
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MN needs two senators, and we all know that Coleman won't be one of them.
Let the man get on with representing his state! Please.
Wonderful! This will not please the party of yesteryear. 🙂
About time. Get it over with and let's move forward.
Obama is truly King now. Suck it GOP!!!!!!!
It is about time!! Norm – it was getting a little silly.
Is it finally over? 7 months later?? Seat him and let him do his job and give MN their 2 senators
Oh, of course, Coleman will challenge the issue... the man is a bozo supported by a Republican Constituency of Bozos! They will I am sure do anything to keep this appointment tied up in the courts in order to stymie any movement in the Senate in support of the President. Doesn't mean that he has a chance.. just means it is the way the GOP function... win by hook or crook... barring that... just plain cheat and lie! All you have to do is spend one program listening to Rush Limbaugh to hear the mentality of the GOP... and this is nothing new! People are just becoming wise to them.... *smirk*
FINALLY! Coleman is such a hypocrite....what am I saying? He's a republican so, of course, he's a hypocrite! I love their conservative views on fidelity (oops), their anti-gay stance (oops), their fiscal conservatism (oops again)! My dreams of a country without their Joe McCarthy views actually might happen.
Randolph, since when are republicans appealing?
Coleman lost in a fair and legal election. It's too bad he feels the law should make an exception for him.
...and the Senate becomes more of a joke...
It looks like, maybe, welcome Senator Franken, finally!
I don't know why it was so difficult and what took so long. Now we will watch the Govenor.. take his time.. doing the right thing.
We have a comedian in the senate. Way to go.
About time. Hey Timmy sign the certificate, stop stalling already !
Finally after nearly 8 months Minnesotans gets their 2nd Senator.
It was about time.....it was pretty obvious.
Fart Limbaugh, the head of GOP will come with some twisted logic again and the fight will continue.
What a waste of time and money. Coleman should have bowed out long ago.
I still can't believe this guy got any votes at all!
That's it! Ladies and gentlemen, the 2008 elections are FINALLY OVER!!!!
Yay, bravo, Al. You won election fair and square and you deserve to take your Senate seat proudly. It's always good when another corrupt Republican candidate bites the dust.
Let us hope this is over , but Coleman just seems to not take no for an answer. Odd for member of the party of no!
Why appeal any further? Close as it was, Franken won. The recount was automatic, not requested due to the tightness of the race under state law. Coleman asked Franken to give up when he was ahead, but hypocritically changed his tune when he was behind on the recount, and now has cost time, money, and representation for the people of Minnesota. Governor Pawlenty needs to head his state's highest court and certify this election. If Coleman wants to challenge Franken again, it should be at the ballot box, and not the courthouse.
Halelulia