Andrea Stewart-Cousins hopes for surprise vote not to elect Hochul Hector LaSalle
The Democratic-led New York State Senate will hold a surprise full-time vote Wednesday on Governor Kathy Hochul’s nomination of Judge Hector LaSalle for the state’s highest court.
In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said the House “will reassume our leadership responsibilities and end the ongoing distraction of Justice Hector LaSalle’s candidacy.”
Her announcement comes after a lawsuit filed last week by Republicans and tacitly endorsed by Hochul to force a vote on the centrist Democrat’s candidacy.
Stewart-Cousins again appeared to be trying to compete with LaSalla because two of his supporters — Sen. Luis Sepúlveda (D-Bronx) and Sen. Kevin Thomas (D-Long Island) — would not be present at this time, a source familiar with the situation said. .
Earlier, the Senate Judiciary Committee added anti-LaSalle members to its ranks to ensure that his candidacy would not be accepted by the committee.
The Senate is in a panic. They know they screwed up. They know they will lose the lawsuit,” the source said. “So now they’re trying to force a vote when there aren’t two yes votes in Albany. There is already a fix.”
Sepulveda’s office confirmed Wednesday morning that he would be out of Albany due to a family health emergency.
In a statement released following the Stewart-Cousins announcement, a spokesman for Sepulveda said, “The execution of the Senate’s agenda is the prerogative of the leadership, and the Senator respects that process.”
Thomas’s office said that he was not in the country, but did not specify.
The Senate has 63 members – 42 Democrats and 21 Republicans – but most of them have not publicly expressed their position on LaSalle.
Several senators abruptly left a joint legislative hearing in apparent preparation for a vote, interrupting a speech by Mayor Eric Adams as he sought additional funding for New York during what became known as “Tin Cup Day” in Albany. Unfortunately, there are so many other things. is happening right at the moment when I remain the sole representative of the Senate,” said Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan).
Adams later said that he was not worried about not being able to finish his testimony “because I have an amazing state legislative committee here.”
“Personally, I think it was interrupted because they think I’m doing great in the city,” he joked.
In January, Governor Kathy Hochul nominated LaSalle, who currently chairs the second department of the Brooklyn Division of Appeals, to be the first Hispanic Chief Justice of the State Court of Appeals.
But the Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly blocked the move, voting 10 to 9 to reject the governor’s choice.
The historic decision came after Senate Democrats expanded the committee from 15 to 19 members, adding three more Democrats and filling the committee with anti-LaSalle progressives.
On Thursday, Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-R-Long Island) filed a lawsuit for a full Senate vote, saying the state constitution only allows the Judiciary Committee to give “advice and consent” to all members of the Senate.”
Former Democratic Gov. David Paterson predicted on Sunday that Palumbo’s lawsuit would succeed, saying “the Democrats, unfortunately, can’t name any reason why LaSalle’s candidacy didn’t pass in the full Senate.”
Stewart-Cousins publicly responded to the lawsuit on Tuesday, saying: “The constitution allows us to make our own rules – and our rules have been followed.” there are votes” for confirmation. In a statement on Wednesday, Stewart-Cousins said: “This court case, if allowed to proceed, would drag on for months and confound our judicial system. It’s time to put an end to this.”
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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.