Statement from Senator Dan Stec on the Vote to Confirm Justice LaSalle

“The refusal of Senate Democrats to allow Governor Hochul’s nominee for the state Court of Appeals a full hearing has been shameful and unconstitutional. Instead of giving him a full and fair hearing, they sabotaged him in committee and then spent the next month keeping his nomination from receiving a constitutionally required vote of the entire Senate.

“Senate Democrats decided that stacking the Senate Judiciary Committee with an arbitrary number of members to block his advancement was sufficient and constitutional. It wasn’t until Senate Republicans filed a lawsuit challenging the Senate Democrats on constitutional grounds that they brought Judge LaSalle’s nomination to the floor.

“The fact that it took the threat of losing in court, just as they did last year for their unconstitutional gerrymandering and gun control laws, to bring the nomination to a full vote speaks volumes about the Senate Democrats and where their interests truly lay. They aren’t interested in offering a highly qualified and capable jurist a fair shake; they want our next Court of Appeals judge to be an activist, a rubberstamp for a runaway progressive agenda that has repeatedly been struck down in court.

“Judge LaSalle and all New Yorkers deserve better than the political theater they’ve had to endure from Senate Democrats over this nomination.”