Coleman Appeal Coming, Lawyer Says: 'System Is Broken'

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Norm Coleman's attorney says an appeal of his Minnesota Senate election trial loss probably won't come until next week.

Coleman has 10 days to ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to review Monday night's decision that was in favor of Democrat Al Franken.

A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that Franken won 312 more votes than Coleman and should get an election certificate.

Coleman lawyer Ben Ginsberg says his team needs time to fully review the decision. Coleman's lawyers claim that counties treated absentee ballots differently, creating constitutional problems.

"We have been reviewing the court's order and we feel that they have misunderstood a number of the issues as well as what's at stake in this case," said Ginsberg. "And so let me reiterate what we have said so that there is absolutely no mistake about this: [We] will be appealing this decision from the three-judge court."

"The court was very defensive of the Minnesota system," Ginsberg added. "The purpose of a contest is to be protective of the rights of the voters. And instead of spending so much time patting themselves on the back about the Minnesota system, the court really missed the big picture that I think, in its prior rulings, the Minnesota Supreme Court has been conscious of."

"This really is a clarion call that the system of election administration in this country is broken," Ginsberg said.

The timing for the appeal is important because Minnesota has been short a U.S. senator while the case has moved through the courts.

Comments

[peacebypiece]

"This really is a clarion call that the system of election administration in this country is broken," Ginsberg said."

Really? I would think the clarion call was when GWB was installed as POTUS by the US Supreme Court.

[Skeetshooter]

Norm oughta know if the system's broken; he's the one trying to break it.

[potjustice]

Ain't Norm the guy in the ape suit Al locked in the cage with the real ape in Trading Places

[dianhow]

Coleman.. Be a man and admit DEFEAT. YOU LOST>

[Michael Niemeyer]

Norm? Go home and find a new job. I don't know what you were thinking, being a US Senator doesn't pay well enough to afford everything you did to your house. Were you planning on taking bribes, kick backs, and cash under the Senate table to pay that off?

[baldfrog]

Umm is this Florida "W". I don't think so! Send Coleman home with some toilet paper to wipe the tears away from his whining a... You go Big Al,congratulations.

[GabeSmall]

It's like the tennis player who blames the racket.

[Rmath]

The GOP National Committee poured a ton of money into Minnesota in a vain attempt to win a "prize". That's why they brought their convention to Saint Paul. It was a GOP wet dream to thumb their noses at the state that produced Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone. Now they're throwing good money after bad into the vain attempt to rescue their golden boy.

I love these repub clowns who write that "Al is unfunny". Franken didn't campaign on his former career. Of course, repubs have no problem with Ronald Reagan, who co-starred with Bonzo the Chimp. After all, Reagan was a wife-shucker and that is a good republican virtue (John McCain and Newt Gingrich have demonstrated the same virtue). And repubs also had no problem with another entertainer, Sonny Bono, who was not known for his intellect. A drug user who died when he collided with a tree, Bono was not exactly funny either.

In reply to rockymountainhigh's comment that Franken is "not very bright", I'll bet Franken can correctly spell "short-tempered".

[jeliz]

Three judges, who have probably been on the bench for years, misunderstood. Riiiiiight. Normie must have gotten his attorney from "Lawyers-R­-Us." Most judges, especially THREE judges, in such a high-stakes, high-profile type of case, do not misunderstand the law. I sure hope his attorney gets sent packing with his tail between his legs.

[BillMelater]

The system is broken because Coleman and the Anti-American Republicans should not have been able to deny Al Franken his duly elected post this long.

[GovtCheese]

Notice the system worked fine in 2000, not so much in 2009!!

[JailNeoconVicts]

What's broken is Coleman's word of honor. As if he ever had any.

[Phxflyer]

Sen. Al Franken should appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court today to get this process rolling, and get himself seated.

[mlaiuppa]

The "system is broken" because a Republican lost (fair and square).

Big surprise.

[CaptainObvious]

Yeah - "the system" didn't rig the election properly - it's broken.

[buddydave]

Coleman: "I'm going to appeal but I'm going to wait as long as possible before doing so because I like depriving the citizens of Minnesota of their Constitutionally mandated representation in Congress."

[BatedBreath]

Do they care that they are so transparent, I wonder? I fail to see how this can be beneficial for the republican party, but then I think of Michelle Backmann and realize that anyone who could elect her might be happy being short a Senator...­smaller government anyone?

[Mohanna]

The really Scary thing is they don't know they are transparent and they always forget about "Roll The Tape"!

[mlaiuppa]

GOP: "We support Norm Coleman in his efforts to obstruct Al Franken from becoming the 59th Democratic Senator, thus allowing us to more easily filibuster­."

[Phxflyer]

Why do republicans like Norm Coleman hate American and the democratic process?

[bullwinkle88]

I believe that all of this legal maneuvering on the part of Coleman will collectively blow up in the GOP's face in terms of Minnesota politics.

The governor will not be reelected - particularly if he delays signing the papers to authorize Franken a senator until Coleman quits.

There will be further repercussions as well, so I'm not too concerned over this delay. Just like the 8 years of George Bush...it will come back to haunt the GOP.