The five-judge panel appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea to handle redistricting issued a scheduling order on Thursday, instructing all legal parties invovled to have their maps to the court by Nov. 18. The court will have a hearing on the plans on Jan. 4.

There’s a sense of aplomb among Minnesota Republicans when they talk about their prospects for coming out on top in this decade’s redistricting process.

In the absence of any sign that the GOP Legislature and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton will be able to agree on a plan for the state’s 2012 redistricting, a five-judge panel is preparing to redraw the state’s political map for the coming decade.

In a new filing, the county argues that it provides services required under federal and state mandates, and requires state support to do so.

The resolution, similar to one passed by the Senate Rules Committee last week, OKs arguing the Legislature's position that it be allowed to remain operational enough to eventually bring the shutdown to a close.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer said Friday that the hand recount is only a “step in the process” to determining Minnesota’s next governor, and emphasized a still-absent ruling from the state Supreme Court on the issue of reconciling votes.

Following the 2008 U.S. Senate recount of nearly 3 million ballots, the state canvassing board was left with more than 6,600 challenged ballots from all corners of the state. Those ballots were selected by representatives of both former Sen. Norm Coleman and Sen. Al Franken for a host of reasons, ranging from stray marks to any writing on the ballots that might identify the original voter.

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition from Republican Tom Emmer and the Minnesota GOP arguing that local elections officials failed to properly reconcile the number of votes cast with the number of voters registered. The decision paved the way for the state canvassing board to certify the election results on Tuesday and move forward with an automatic recount that's scheduled to begin next week.

The decision paves the way for the state canvassing board to certify the election results on Tuesday, as is expected, and move forward with an automatic recount scheduled to begin next week.

In a letter to the state canvassing board, Magnuson asked that reconciliation be made part of the state's official recount plan.