Politics | Norm Coleman Coleman Lawyers Blast Judges' 'Fatal Inconsistency' Trial rhetoric escalates as judges deny Coleman ballots By Ambreen Ali Posted Feb 19, 2009 9:15 AM CST Copied Norm Coleman's attorney, Joe Friedberg, bottom left, and Al Franken's attorney, David Lillehaug, center, have a sidebar conference with the judges. (AP Photo/Jean Pieri, Pool) 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. Read These Next Isolated tribe members show up in an unexpected place. One key to Telsa's huge court loss: a hacker in Starbucks. Details trickle out on 2 more victims of the Minneapolis shooting. Naomi Osaki is fully on Taylor Townsend's side in this spat. Report an error