Some good news for Al Franken, courtesy the folks at Politico:
A three-judge panel in the Minnesota Senate race delivered a setback to Norm Coleman this afternoon, ruling that his campaign failed to prove there was an endemic problem counting absentee ballots throughout the state.
The court ruled that judges should use a fairly conservative standard in determining which rejected absentee ballots should be re-introduced into the count. Coleman’s campaign has been arguing that about 4,700 ballots – mostly in Republican-friendly precincts – should be included in the count.
At the end of the recount process, Coleman trailed Democrat Al Franken by 225 votes. Allowing additional absentee ballots into the count has been the crux of the Coleman campaign’s legal challenge to overcome his narrow deficit.
Further details from the MinnPost:
Thirteen of 19 categories in dispute won't be counted, Judges Elizabeth Hayden, Kurt Marben and Denise Reilly ruled minutes ago. (See the court order - a PDF - here.) The categories include some major ones involving signatures and addresses on ballot envelopes.
The judges asked lawyers from both sides about the 19 categories of rejected absentee ballots.
Franken's side believed only two of the categories should be opened.
The Coleman side wanted 17 categories opened.
It's unclear at this moment how many ballots now have been tossed out by the judges.
So while we don't know by how much the Coleman Universe has contracted (h/t to WineRev -- hope you're getting some needed rest!), the fact is that his uphill climb has now achieved Himalayan proportions.
All he's doing now is wasting the time and money of the good people of Minnesota, who deserve full representation in the Senate.
I hope if Coleman ever has the cojones to run again, the aforementioned good people of Minnesota will remember his legal maneuvers.