Coleman Lawyers Blast Judges' 'Fatal Inconsistency'

Norm Coleman's lawyers lambasted the judges in Minnesota's recount trial for again refusing to reconsider certain rejected absentee votes that would narrow Al Franken's 225-vote lead in the Senate race, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The attorneys called the rulings a "legal quagmire" and said the "fatal inconsistency serves to disenfranchise some voters while allowing others with the same ballots to have their votes counted."

"The court creates a real problem for itself and the reliability of these proceedings," Coleman lawyer Ben Ginsberg said. "That makes ascertaining a final legitimate result to this election even more difficult." Franken's lawyer dismissed the unusual criticism—lawyers rarely criticize judges—and said, "They're trying to build a record for appeal." Ginsberg declined to say whether they would do so. (More Norm Coleman stories.)