Minnesota Judges Zero In on Coleman Arguments

Naftali Bendavid reports on Congress. Minnesota’s Supreme Court justices closely questioned Norm Coleman ’s lawyer today on Coleman’s assertion that thousands more absentee ballots should be counted in the state’s U.S. Senate race, even though they were excluded because they were filled out improperly. Coleman, a Republican who held the Senate seat until January, is contesting Democrat Al Franken ’s 312-vote lead out of nearly 3 million cast. But the justices asked whether they could overturn the election given that there are no allegations of widespread fraud or wrongdoing. “The issue is whether there has been intentional and purposeful discrimination,” said Justice A lan Page . “Where is the intentional and purposeful discrimination?” The Supreme Court is expected to rule within weeks, possibly bringing an end to the state’s extraordinary seven-month review of an election dispute that has left Minnesota with only one senator and the Senate without its full complement of lawmakers.  ... (link)