The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of the state’s disputed 2008 Senate race, bringing to a close the latest chapter in the eight-month-long litigious recount battle between him and incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously, 5-0, in Franken’s favor, upholding an earlier court’s decision that the Democrat won the race by 312 votes after a statewide recount. “For all of the foregoing reasons, we affirm the decision of the trial court that Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under (state law) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota,— the judges wrote in their ruling.Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has said publicly that he plans to follow the law and sign the winner’s election certificate following this court case.Unless Coleman concedes the case, this might not be the end of the drawn-out election. Coleman has not ruled out appealing the case to the federal Supreme Court, plus his former colleagues in the Senate could attempt to filibuster Franken’s seating. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (N.J.) praised the ruling and said that it is time for Franken to be seated so that he can to get to work. “We’ve always said that Norm Coleman deserved his day in court, and he got eight months,— Menendez said in a statement. “Now we expect Governor Pawlenty to do the right thing, follow the law, and sign the election certificate.—