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The Minnesota Supreme Court today decided that Franken, a Democrat, won the highest number of votes in last year’s U.S. Senate race and deserves a signed election certificate.
The court said that Republican Norm Coleman didn’t prove that a lower court made mistakes requiring a rehearing of the case. Coleman had asked the court to order thousands of rejected absentee ballots counted. He had hoped the counting would allow him to overcome Franken’s 312-vote lead.
The court’s decision brings to an end the seven-month state fight over the Minnesota Senate race. Franken has had a lead since January and a trial court decided in April that he won the highest number of legally cast votes.
But Coleman has fought that determination, first in front of a three-judge panel and then in front of the state Surpeme Court. He had left open the possibility that he would wage a federal court fight for the lead either by appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court or by encouraging supporters to file a suit in federal court.
Neither of those would necessarily keep Franken from being seated.
Overdue!
