Coleman, Franklin prep to face off on appeal
By Michael O'Brien
Posted: 05/30/09 06:59 PM
Monday's oral arguments before the Minnesota Supreme Court may finally bring an end to the state's protracted Senate race, and both sides are proclaiming readiness.
Lawyers for former Sen. Norm Coleman (R) and Democrat Al Franken have prepped for the better part of a month and a half to ready their cases after Coleman appealed a three-judge panel's decision in an election contest handing Franken a narrow victory in the race.
Franken has spent the past month and a half behaving more as a senator-in-waiting, his campaign said. The Democrat, who is seen by most observers as having the best chance of winning the election, has been spending most of his time in briefings on issues and procedures, in preparation to take office.
Coleman, meanwhile, has maintained a hands-on presence in preparing the appeal.
"He's an accomplished lawyer and he's been very much involved in preparation of the briefs, the moot courts," campaign attorney Ben Ginsberg said Friday of Coleman, who is a licensed attorney. Ginsberg added that Coleman has maintained a presence in the campaign's offices, and continues to keep in touch with staffers and former colleagues on Capitol Hill.
At issue in the appeal is whether or not the panel overseeing Coleman's election challenge erred in including some absentee ballots while disqualifying others. Coleman's campaign alleges that the court inconsistently allowed ballots.
By contrast, Franken has let his lawyers do the work for him. The would-be senator is not an attorney and has instead focused on prepping for the Senate.
Perhaps as a marker of the differences in the campaign, Coleman will be in the courtroom Monday for the hourlong arguments, while Franken will likely be absent.
Still, Franken's campaign hopes to manage a quick turnaround if it wins an election certificate -- though no outcome is certain, and Coleman could opt to appeal the Minnesota Supreme Court's ruling if it doesn't go his way.
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http://thehill.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82862&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=70
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