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Democrats will give LaSalle nomination a hearing
Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that Democrats will hold a hearing about Judge Hector LaSalle's nomination as chief judge of the New York state Court of Appeals, even though there have already been enough senators announcing no votes to scuttle his appointment. Former New York City Deputy Mayor Carol Robles-Román is one of a number of Latinos supporting Gov. Kathy Hochul's judicial nomination, and explains the opposition, saying, "In the way that I know judicial selection, the way it is done right, you get a good sense of the body of work.... They didn't select a couple of cases. They selected three." Critics cite three controversial rulings from LaSalle: He voted to shield a fake abortion clinic from a state investigation; in 2015 LaSalle carved a massive loophole into a state law that previously stopped management from suing unions and union leaders; and in 2014 LaSalle moved to prohibit a criminal defendant from appealing his conviction. Locally, state Senator Michelle Hinchey has come out against LaSalle's nomination. Judiciary Committee Chair Brad Hoylman doesn't think the nomination has much of a chance, saying, "This is a very narrow pathway if one exists at all.... That said, this is completely the governor's decision, which I and my colleagues respect, to advance the nomination." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.