In a 5-0 decision, the state’s highest court ordered that Al Franken be declared the winner.
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today that Democrat Al Franken won the U.S. Senate election and said he was entitled to an election certificate that would lead to him being seated in the Senate.
“Affirmed,” wrote the Supreme Court, unanimously rejecting Republican Norm Coleman’s claims that inconsistent practices by local elections officials and wrong decisions by a lower court had denied him victory.
“Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled [under Minnesota law] to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota,” the court wrote.
No surprise, really. One would think Norm Coleman about out of options but this thing has managed to go on seemingly forever.
I’ve maintained from the beginning of this fiasco that 1) the election was for all intents and purposes a tie and 2) Coleman, who was ahead when the initial counting stopped — and after the initial recount! — and saw some really weird things go against him, had every right to fight this in court but that 3) it has long been apparent that Franken was going to win and all Coleman’s tactics were achieving was denying Minnesotans their just representation in the Senate and therefore 4) he should have quit this farce some time back. It’s time to accept the inevitable and move on.
UPDATE: Coleman has conceded.
“The Supreme Court has made its decision and I will abide by the results,” Coleman told reporters outside his St. Paul home. “In these tough times we all need to focus on the future, and the future is that we have a new United States senator,” Coleman said.
