Coleman Lawyers Get Heckled By GOP Judge
Arguments just ended in today's latest round of the Minnesota hearings, and Norm Coleman's legal team had what can only be described as an awkward moment: One of the three judges began openly heckling them.
Franken attorney David Lillehaug brought up Coleman's claims that absentee ballots were wrongly accepted on Election Day, that people unqualified to vote cast ballots, and that some people voted twice -- all for Franken, of course. Lillehaug said how the Franken campaign has tried to get an answer from the Coleman team how they would know whom any such people voted for.
At this point, Hennepin County (Minneapolis) Judge Denise Reilly cut in. "I was thinking about that as a criminal witness," said Reilly, joking about the idea of summoning in individual voters and putting them on the stand, giving them counsel and demanding testimony on how they voted.
Even worse for Coleman: Reilly was appointed to the bench in the 1990's by a Republican governor.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Whoa, is the tide really gathering here against Coleman?! Finally?!
January 23, 2009 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
One thing about a lot of judges, regardless of their political views, is that actually believe in the rule of law above all else. They don't appreciate people like Coleman who attempt to exploit the courts to undermine the proper execution of government.
January 23, 2009 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which is why the judge made the joke. They probably hate this waste of their time.
January 23, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman is entitled to his day in court. Is there any doubt how this is going to turn out? No one thinks he's going to win. Not the Senate Republicans - they've already agreed to committee proportions based on Franken winning. Even Coleman knows it - he's already lined up another gig.
They'll listen patiently to his case, then they'll tell him that his case is groundless and to get lost.
January 23, 2009 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you read between the lines, it appears that the three judge panel is laying the foundation for a Franken victory as soon as next week.
We are a summary judgment or at worst a very short trial away from the 59th member of the Democratic Caucus.
Go AL Go!
January 23, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Aren't those Norm's teeth in the add on the right?
January 23, 2009 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
MPR just reported the 3 Judge Court denied Coleman's petition for 84 three person teams to go out and inspect Precinct Ballots, sign-in logs and other election day data between now and Monday. In otherwords, Fishing Expedition is now off the table. This pretty much leaves Coleman with the Precinct Canvass as done during the recount phase in late November, first week of December as evidence, except as altered in minor ways by the State Canvass Board decisions. They are not allowing him to go back, on a precinct by precinct basis to question the original recount.
January 23, 2009 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dandy Don is warming up out there somewhere: "Turn out the lights, the party's over..."
January 23, 2009 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Have you seen Coleman's latest comment? He says any other Minnesota Democrat would have beaten him easily.
Translation: I'm such a putz I can't believe it was this close.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
January 23, 2009 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman knew the die was cast when he lost the recount.
This is simply Repub posturing aided by unlimited funds to help salve the wounds of the wingnutz who go apoplectic at the mention of Senator-elect Al Franken's name.
January 23, 2009 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
A note about the Republican governor who appointed Reilly, forewarning that we'll hear this from the right when they claim the court was biased: Arne Carlson was regarded as a moderate, and the party endorsed a social conservative candidate for the 1994 primary. Carlson won handily, but that doesn't mean Republicans like him. He's been critical of Bush the last few years, and last year he endorsed Obama.
January 23, 2009 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
ericf is quite correct. Look at the canvassing board--which is being denounced by the rightie liars as a pawn of DFL Sec of State Mark Ritchie--two of the canvassing board members were Republicans from the state supreme court . . . one was even the former law partner of incumbent Republican governor Pawlenty. As Al Franken has so vividly shown in his brilliant satirical books, the propagandists of the right are allergic to facts and immune to logic.
January 23, 2009 5:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
How is there any "heckling" going on here?
The post's headline and second sentence make no sense.
January 23, 2009 7:21 PM | Reply | Permalink