Courtesy of WRCR.
The New York state Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday rejected the governor’s pick to become the new Chief Judge of the state’s highest court. Governor Kathy Hochul’s nomination for the position on the Court of Appeals, Hector LaSalle, who currently leads the appeals division of the State Supreme Court, was defeated by the committee by a 10-9 vote. He had faced strong opposition from various groups, believing he was anti-labor and anti-abortion rights. Perhaps sensing trouble ahead in the committee vote, the governor spoke very highly of LaSalle on Saturday…
But apparently a majority of Democrats on the committee thought he was too “right” and turned him down. The next steps for LaSalle or the empty position on the bench, are unclear. The governor has suggested that the Constitution requires the full Senate to vote on her nominees, and the Buffalo News reported the governor is considering taking legal action to force that vote, despite the Judiciary Committee’s decision. In a statement the governor called the hearing “unfair” and its outcome “predetermined.”