The battle to seat the new U.S. Senate appointee is getting more interesting and more confusing by the day. Following the appointment of Roland Burris to the vacant U.S. Senate seat by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich earlier this week, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White claimed he would refuse to approve the appointment, saying, "He's a gentleman of impeccable credentials...However, I'm standing by my previous statement that I will not certify any recommendation coming from the governor's office...I'm not a rubber stamp. I'm also the keeper of the seal of the State of Illinois." Now, Burris is fighting back as his lawyers have filed a motion to force White to approve the appointment.

The filing is an official request to the Illinois Supreme Court to accept jurisdiction over the mandamus action, that is, action which compels a lower court or a government officer to perform mandatory or purely ministerial duties correctly. more ›