Basically, Republican Norm Coleman is contesting DFLer Al Franken’s election victory on three fronts. First, he says that 133 lost ballots that benefited Franken by 46 net votes should not be counted. Second, he alleges that between 130 and 150 ballots were counted twice, though he can’t be sure which candidate they helped. And third, he argues that 654 additional absentee ballots should be counted, even though they were twice rejected by election officials.

The election contest will be adjudicated by a three-judge panel to be named by NFL Hall of Famer and current Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, who is believed to be a Democrat. Republicans will no doubt whine about a liberal bias in the courts — as they already have in this contest — but Page is the ranking member of the state’s high court, after Chief Justice Eric Magnuson recused himself.

Basically, this is all a “Hail Mary” on the part of the Coleman campaign, which would have to have everything go its way to stand a chance of erasing Franken’s 225-vote lead.

When will it finally end? From The Minnesota Independent:

Nobody knows. Most political observers have speculated about a roughly two-month timeframe. But legal expert Ron Rosenbaum, speaking on KFAN (1130-AM) yesterday, poured cold water on that relatively quick scenario. “I think those people are dreaming,” he told host Dan Barreiro. “This thing could easily last longer than you even want to imagine, if permitted, and I think there’s a reasonable chance that could happen.”