Albany, NY — After reports that the New York Senate would hold a full floor vote on the nomination of Hector LaSalle to be chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, the Government Justice Center issued the following statement: 

“It’s good to see the Senate following the Constitution but it shouldn’t have taken a lawsuit, something that isn’t an option for most New Yorkers when their elected officials break the rules,” said Cam Macdonald, executive director of the Government Justice Center and adjunct fellow at the Empire Center. “More than 200 years ago, New Yorkers rejected the corrupt, partisan practice of a handful of senators controlling government appointments. A full Senate vote fulfills the Constitution’s design and makes 63 senators accountable to their voters for their up or down votes on Justice LaSalle.” 

Macdonald last month explained that a full vote by the Senate was necessary under the state Constitution.