If you didn’t see, yesterday Governor Hochul nominated Judge Hector LaSalle to be the next Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, filling the seat that Chief Judge DiFiore vacated when she retired earlier this year. There’s been some media coverage of the nomination; we’ve collected highlights for you here.
- The Governor issued a press release reporting “what people are saying” about the nomination, which collected statements of support from politicians, advocates, and community groups.
- The New York Times surveyed support and opposition for the nomination, while coverage from other outlets—including from the Times Union and City and State—highlighted opposition from progressive legislators and advocacy groups.
- At New York Focus, Sam Mellins explained that “[a]t least 11 Democrats would likely need to oppose LaSalle to have a chance of stopping his confirmation” and started the vote-counting.
- Meanwhile, Alexander Sammon and Mark Joseph Stern at Slate set out the progressive case against confirming Judge LaSalle, asserting that his confirmation would be an “absolute disaster for democrats.” They echoed earlier opposition to Judge LaSalle’s nomination voiced by professors from law schools across the State.
- Rob Rosborough at NY Appeals took a different tack, explaining how LaSalle’s criticized votes in select cases actually showed that he was “a fair judge who takes every case as it comes to him, and decides each in a way that is consistent with precedent.”
Posted on 2022-12-23.