Al Franken, Almost a Senator

Minnesota’s highest court is still mulling over Republican Norm Coleman’s appeal that more ballots be counted before giving away the state’s contested Senate seat. But experts say he hasn’t got a chance. “Each of the five justices asked some questions that seemed to hone in on the absence of evidence," said Peter Knapp, an expert on the Minnesota Supreme Court. "And when each of the five are asking those questions, that’s significant.” The legal battle, centering around absentee ballots, started in January—but the court seems to think Coleman’s side isn’t presenting enough evidence that the ballots were counted incorrectly. In April, a three-judge panel ruled Al Franken won the race by a little over 300 votes.