Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) just shot out a statement declaring that he has “absolutely no reason to question President Obama’s citizenship.”

I anticipate that as a legal matter the courts will continue to come to the same conclusion.

But he also leaves a bit of room for doubt, adding that his view is based only on a cursory survey of the case. “I have not carefully reviewed the evidence as a jurist would,” he said.

Something there for both sides of this inane debate.

That’s because the soon-to-be-sworn-in freshman is slated to take seats on both the Senate Judiciary and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees — the two panels that just happen to be on the front lines of the Democrats’ priorities for the rest of the year.

First, there’s the thorny debate over health care reform, which the HELP committee has already officially begun — but which also remains a long way from over. Then there’s the process to seat Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court, which will launch in the Judiciary panel. And finally, there’s the ideologically charged battle over the labor-friendly Employee Free Choice Act, a fight set to begin this summer in the HELP Committee.

Franken will also sit on the Special Committee on Aging and the Indian Affairs panel.

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“I am deeply disappointed in the decision made by the state Supreme Court, and I share the frustration of Minnesota’s voters. At the core of our democracy lies two concrete principles: No valid vote should go uncounted and all votes should be treated equally. Sadly, those principles were not adhered to during this election. While I would have proudly stood behind Norm Coleman had he chosen to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, I know that his decision to withdraw from this race was not an easy one, but one that he felt was the best decision for the people of Minnesota. For the last six years, Norm represented the people of Minnesota with distinction, earning a much deserved reputation as one of the hardest-working members of Congress. I, on behalf of all Republicans, thank him for his service and will miss his leadership in Washington.”

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For a recap of how we got to this point, and a breakdown of the state high court’s ruling, check out this piece from The Minnesota Independent’s Paul Demko.

Franken will hold a press conference at 5:15 EDT.

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) just issued a statement calling on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) “to respect the votes of his constituents and the decisions of his state’s highest court.”

He should put politics aside, follow his state’s laws and finally sign the certificate that will bring this episode to an end.

There’s good reason behind Reid’s call for urgency. Senate Democrats might number 60 officially, but with Sens. Edward Kennedy (Mass.) and Robert Byrd (W.Va.) both out indefinitely with illnesses, party leaders can use all the help they can get for the tough legislative battles that loom this summer.

UPDATE: The decision is here (pdf). The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Franken is “entitled … to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota.” Whether Minnesota’s Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty interprets this as an order to certify the election — which he has said he would obey — remains to be seen.

2nd UPDATE: The Minnesota Independent has more details.

I’m prepared to sign [the certification] as soon as they give the green light. I’m not going to defy an order of the Minnesota Supreme Court. That would be a dereliction of my duty.

But what’s the “green light?” If the court rules for Democrat Al Franken but doesn’t specifically order the governor to sign a certificate? Will he? Signs point to no; he suggests that he’d abide by a stay if one was issued by a higher court. And there would be considerable pressure on Pawlenty to wait for former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s next move even if the state Supreme Court ordered the signing of a certificate; that action could, theoretically, be stayed. (Obviously, there is no precedent for a senator being certified and then being pulled out of the body while a higher court re-evaluates his election. If Franken is certified, he will be a senator.)

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“We’ll do everything we can to support Norm as long as he has appellate remedies to pursue,” Cornyn said. “I’m not suggesting Norm has this plan in mind, because frankly I think he’s hopeful it turns out well at the state Supreme Court. But as a former state Supreme Court judge and as a recovering lawyer for 30 years now, I would tell that if he were to lose, what happens is that the secretary of state and the governor are required to sign a certificate of election. Just as a procedural matter, if — and this is a big if — Norm were to decide to appeal this matter to the United States Supreme Court under the Bush v. Gore (2000) precedent, which says that under the Equal Protection Clause uniform counting standards are a Constitutional matter, that they could appeal to the United States Supreme Court. The justice that’s responsible for that area — I think it’s Justice Alito — could issue a stay in the issuance of the election certificate, and it could be referred to the entire court.”

Cornyn wasn’t sure that this would happen. “I say all this as ‘could,’” he said, “not as ‘will or should.’ It depends on what the Minnesota Supreme Court does. But at the oral arguments, Franken’s lawyers did argue about the applicability of the Bush v. Gore standard. It makes no sense, and it doesn’t meet the Supreme Court’s constitutional precedent, to say that one local election official can decide by one standard which ballots should be counted and that some official somewhere else could decide by a different standard.”

Cornyn also argued that there was a larger issue at play than whether the Democrats got a 60th Senate seat. “I’m very proud of Norm Coleman for fighting the good fight to protect the right of Minnesota voters to make sure all legitimate votes are counted,” said Cornyn. “That is the real question here. I realize it’s manifested itself in terms of who actually wins this seat, but I think that should be the focus.”

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