Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023.Amid growing pushback from fellow Democrats and labor unions, Gov. Kathy Hochul held an event alongside local Democrats in the Bronx on Saturday to rally support forHouse Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Adriano Espaillat, state Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, and former Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
The Senate has never rejected a governor’s nominee since New York changed the way top judges are selected in 1977. If Hochul or her allies are willing to sue, LaSalle’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday could turn into a drawn-out legal battle. In response to Saturday’s event, state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, chair of the state Senate’s judiciary committee, told Gothamist that the body sets its own rules.
“I am pissed off,” said state Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, claiming that his peers were “assassinating his [LaSalle’s] character and decisions.” He specifically singled out fellow Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who has come out in opposition to LaSalle’s appointment.In response, Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, tweeted that “every leader must work to empower New Yorkers and build coalitions that measure success by impact and integrity, not identity.
“The only difference between him and the rest who have been appointed is that he is Latino,” Miranda said. “You have to say, ‘why are you changing the rules of the game?’”
Hello Kathy! On the budget. On bail reform. And now on Judge Hector LaSalle. Is GovKathyHochul a captive of CarlHeastie , AndreaSCousins and the a NY state legislature dominated by the NYWFP and nycDSA ? You be the Judge.
She came all the way down to the Bronx to prop up this failing nomination? SMH
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