The top Republican on the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday said Gov. Kathy Hochul was not aware of the lawsuit filed in an effort to force a full vote on her pick for the state’s top judge, Hector LaSalle.
In an appearance on “Mornings On 1,” GOP state Sen. Anthony Palumbo said the suit he filed Thursday was “something that was of our own doing.”
Palumbo on Thursday announced he was suing Senate Democrats on behalf of the state Senate GOP for refusing to advance LaSalle, saying the New York State Constitution mandates that all judicial nominations “be considered before the full state Senate.”
“I have not had a single conversation with the governor regarding this lawsuit. And I have not had any conversations, quite frankly, at all about the nominee since Hector LaSalle was put forward,” Palumbo said Friday. “I discussed it with our conference. And as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, we thought it would be best that it came from me.”
The state senator said he felt LaSalle was more than qualified for the position — and said the lawsuit was brought forth to ensure due process.
“Never in the history of the state has a nominee never made it to the floor for a full up or down vote,” he said. “So the Constitution dictates it, and I think that — win or lose, confirmation or not — it needs to go to a full floor vote.”
Hochul nominated LaSalle to be the next chief judge of the state Court of Appeals, but he was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee last month amid concerns from Democrats regarding his voting record. While Hochul had floated the idea of suing to force a full Senate vote on LaSalle, she ultimately did not.
Hochul declined to comment on the suit, but spoke about LaSalle in an exclusive interview on "Inside City Hall" last week.
“We have to strike the right balance here. I read the constitution very clearly,” she told host Errol Louis. “It says that the governor names an individual to lead the courts with the advice and consent of the Senate. The word Senate is very clear to me.”
