The Minnesotan Supreme Court has ruled that Al Franken is the new junior senator from Minnesota, essentially ending a challenge by former Senator Norm Coleman. It’s official: The crude clown is a senator.

It is U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

The Minnesota Supreme Court today decided that Franken, a Democrat, won the highest number of votes in last year’s U.S. Senate race and deserves a signed election certificate.

The court said that Republican Norm Coleman didn’t prove that a lower court made mistakes requiring a rehearing of the case. Coleman had asked the court to order thousands of rejected absentee ballots counted. He had hoped the counting would allow him to overcome Franken’s 312-vote lead.

The ruling for Franken didn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone, though what Coleman does next is anyone’s guess. He could simply concede the election to the clown, or he could push his case into the federal courts and all the way up the ladder. Ed Morrissey believes that Coleman’s equal-protection argument would fare better there, and I agree.

By the way, the Minnesota Post is reporting that the court didn’t order the certification of the results. That would give Governor Tim Pawlenty an opportunity to hold off until Coleman challenges in the decision in the federal courts.

More: Michelle Malkin, Sister Toldjah.