Republican Norm Coleman was dealt a blow Friday evening in his legal fight in the ongoing Minnesota Senate recount saga. The three-judge panel overseeing the recount trial ruled that rejected absentee ballots in 12 of 19 categories should not be counted in the disputed 2008 Senate race. Coleman was seeking to have ballots counted in all but three categories, but the judges ruled to limit the number of ballots to be reviewed for counting, saying the one-term Senator had not shown a widespread problem with absentee voters. Democrat Al Franken holds a 225-vote lead after a statewide recount was conducted. Neither man has been seated in the Senate pending the outcome of the court challenge.