Talk about timing. After eight months of electoral dispute, former comedian Al Franken may be sworn in as Minnesota’s second senator and take his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee as early as this week — just in time for the confirmation hearings on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The Minnesota Supreme Court’s 5-0 ruling on June 30 that certified Franken as the winner over his Republican opponent, Norm Coleman, was great news for Senate Democrats but also for Washington lawyer Marc Elias, who argued for Franken in front of the state supreme court.
Reporter Jeff Jeffrey of The National Law Journal caught up with Elias, a partner at Seattle-based Perkins Coie who specializes in political and election law, the day after the opinion was handed down and discussed his strategy, the eight-month wait and his feelings on being part of the “largest recount” in U.S. history. The transcript has been edited for space and clarity.
