Coleman appeal to be filed this afternoon

Attorneys for Republican Norm Coleman are planning a conference call for 3:30 Central to discuss their decision to file an appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court regarding Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate race.

The appeal isn't a surprise since Coleman, his attorneys and other Republicans have been saying it would be happen even before the three-judge panel declared last week that Democrat Al Franken received the most votes in the 2008 election.

Update: Coleman attorney said on the conference call that the appeal will be based on equal protection issues, double counting of votes, missing ballots and trial court's exclusion of certain evidence. He said it's the court's discretion to set a timeline but said he expects oral arguments to occur anywhere from two weeks to two months from now.

Update: Here is the notice of appeal and the statement of the case.

UPDATE: Franken's attorney Marc Elias called Coleman's legal arguments the "same old, same old." He said he would file a motion to request the court to expedite the process.

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