Coleman's Lawsuit Hits First Possible Bump In The Road

[babylonsister]

:evilgrin:

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/colemans_lawsuit_hits_first_possible_bump_in_the_r.php

Coleman's Lawsuit Hits First Possible Bump In The Road
By Eric Kleefeld - January 7, 2009, 11:59AM


If Norm Coleman was hoping for the three-judge panel that will be hearing his election lawsuit to be stacked in his favor, he's out of luck. The state Supreme Court just announced that the person in charge of the appointments to that panel will be Associate Justice Alan Page.

Page, the former NFL star and current jurist, was not particularly kind to the Coleman campaign's legal arguments in the lawsuits that came up so far in this case. Coleman might have done better had one of the court's conservatives been put in charge.

Normally the appointments would be made by Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, but Magnuson recused himself because he sat on the same state canvassing board that Coleman is suing to overturn. And Page was next in line.

Then again, if Coleman loses the trial he might appeal on this one, too.

[onehandle]

1. Former Senator Norm Coleman is an ass. nt

[peacetalksforall]

2. If Page is 'next in line', what kind of a case does Coleman build?

[Deja Q]

3. Norm, you said to recount would be a waste of taxpayer money. Why compound a compounded problem?

[opihimoimoi]

4. Sore LOSER in DENIAL is the only explanation...unless he is batshit crazy

[BonnieJW]

9. But the cost of this lawsuit is on Coleman.

[TahitiNut]

5. Let me tell you how much I admire and respect Justice Alan Page.

A lot.
Huge.
Big time.

[dragonlady]

6. Imagine a supreme court justice recusing himself for a conflict

We should be so lucky here in Wisconsin (Badgers, you know what I mean).

[gratuitous]

7. Golly, why is Norm running to the courts to file lawsuits?

I thought manly Republican men didn't do that sort of thing.

The other question that occurs to me is what the hell is Coleman going to argue? Both his campaign and Franken's campaign had complete access to the count, and even had more authority than the campaigns should have had in accepting or rejecting individual ballots. Is he going to say that his campaign people were incompetent? That he should win because he's Norm Coleman? That counting ballots is an unconstitutional way of determining the will of the voters? Or will he come up with some other after-the-fact rationalization to try to change the rules now that he's lost?

Maybe he'll try the O'Reilly "wholly without merit" gambit. Sure, it didn't work for Bill O'Reilly when he sued Al Franken, but who's to say it will fail every time?

[trotsky]

8. When Wellstone was killed, Page was the party's first choice to run in his stead.

Page however wanted to stay above the fray of legislative politics. A bummer, but he is a man of utmost integrity and a true treasure on the MN Supreme Court.