Courts

Can’t tell who you’re insulting at the AG’s office without a program

Al Franken’s lawyers take a lashing from Politics in Minnesota (PIM) — mostly on style points — for their impolitic memorandum in response to an opinion from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office that the State Canvassing Board needn’t take up the issue of improperly rejected absentee ballots:
And smart lawyers never impugn the integrity of the [...]

MnIndy video: Franken sues for voters’ names on rejected absentee ballots

The Al Franken for Senate campaign announced today it is suing Ramsey County in hopes that a favorable court ruling will compel all Minnesota counties to release the names of voters whose absentee ballots were rejected in last week’s election. Attorney Marc Elias said the campaign may present cases of wrongly rejected absentee ballots to the newly-formed canvassing board that will oversee the recount in the U.S. Senate race between Franken and U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.

Video and more after the jump.

Secretary of State lays out details of Senate recount

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced the formation of a five-person statewide canvassing board today that will oversee the mandatory recount in the U. S. Senate race. Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson and Ramsey County Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin, along with two other judges, will join Ritchie on the panel.

Advocacy group calls for investigations into ‘DonorGate’ allegations

Alliance for a Better Minnesota has sent letters to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the Federal Bureau of Investigation calling for investigations into allegations contained in a recently filed lawsuit involving Sen. Norm Coleman. The lawsuit, filed in a Texas court, alleges that Nasser Kazeminy, a longtime associate of the Senator, funneled $75,000 that was intended to benefit Coleman to a Minneapolis insurance firm.

Does politicking since Nov. 4 smear officials, process? Election judges say no

Charges are flying that post-election lawsuits, press releases, talking points, and media (un)availabilities are smearing — or worse, interfering in — Minnesota’s election process, and sliming — or worse, intentionally intimidating — the state’s election officials. Setting aside for the moment the current and serious question of whether intimidation tactics are in play, it’s worth hearing out two Minnesota Independent commenters, self-identified election judges both, who say they don’t feel slimed by basic calls for review, recount and investigation.

Norm Coleman, like Michele Bachmann, wrote pardon letters on behalf of Petters associate Frank Vennes Jr.

Less than two months after he was elected in 2002, Norm Coleman used the power of his yet-to-be-assumed U.S. Senate office to try to leverage a presidential pardon for convicted money launderer and Tom Petters associate Frank Vennes Jr. And two years after that, Coleman wrote yet another pardon plea on Vennes’ behalf.

Desperate measures for public defenders in Minnesota and beyond

Public defenders are overworked — it will probably always be that way. But water up to your chin is different from water up to your eyeballs. And eyeball-deep public defenders are drawing a line according to a story in The New York Times.
“Public defenders’ offices in at least seven states are refusing to take on [...]

And now a public service announcement from MnIndy on the scourge of drunk voting

We’ve been remiss in not posting this sooner. We hope our tardiness has not resulted in the unnecessary disenfranchisement of any noble citizens out there. But please do not forget: It is illegal to vote while drunk. According to Minnesota state law, “election judges shall not permit an obviously intoxicated individual to vote or remain [...]

Judicial candidate Hedlund’s Muslim-related email gaffe is not the first time she has generated public controversy

The biggest gaffe of the local campaign season? Against stiff competition from Michele Bachmann, it may have been Deborah Hedlund hitting “reply all” as the candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court responded last month to an email with the provocative title, “Can Muslims Be Good Americans?”

Hedlund has been no stranger to controversy in her tenure on the bench. Let’s review.

Untangling the political ties of the primary players in the Kazeminy/Coleman lawsuit

The man at the heart of the lawsuit filed in Texas this week accusing Sen. Norm Coleman of fraudulently receiving $75,000 has kept a low political profile over the years. Deep Marine Technology founder Paul McKim has given a total of $900 — primarily to Republican political candidate and causes since 2000, according to a database maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics.