Minnesota's Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a Senate seat, giving US President Barack Obama's Democrats a critical 60-seat majority in the US Senate.

The 60-seat benchmark is critical as it will enable Democrats to push through President Obama's legislation and block filibuster attempts by the Republicans.

The race for Minnesota's second Senate seat was one of the longest in history; the initial result from the 4 November 2008 election gave Republican Norm Coleman a lead of just 206 votes. The close vote triggered an automatic recount and Mr Franken came out on top by a margin of 255 votes. The Republican candidate challenged the recount, which increased Mr Franken's lead to 312. A further legal challenge resulted in yesterday's Supreme Court ruling.