Judicial Panel Named To Hear Senate Lawsuit

The three-judge panel that will hear a lawsuit over Minnesota's contested Senate election includes one Republican appointee, one Democratic appointee and one named by an independent governor. The panel was announced Monday. It was named by Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, the high court member with the most seniority. The three district judges are Elizabeth Hayden of Stearns County, Kurt Marben of Pennington County and Denise Reilly of Hennepin County.Republican Norm Coleman sued over his recount loss to Democrat Al Franken. Coleman says there were some votes counted twice and other ballots that should have been counted but weren't. The court case is an obstacle to a signed election certificate for Minnesota's second senator, leaving the state with only one for the time being. By law, the case must head to trial in St. Paul by late January. It could take months to resolve.