Hochul backs LaSalle for chief justice post after criticism from some Democrats

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Syracuse, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul is upholding her nomination of Hector LaSalle as chief justice of the state’s highest court following criticism of her choice from some Democrats.

A group of progressive Democrats, including Rachel May of Syracuse, said they would vote against LaSalle’s nomination as chief justice of the state Court of Appeals because they believe his court record is too conservative. . Senator John Mannion of Geddes said he was considering joining the group to oppose the candidate, saying LaSalle’s past decisions were clearly anti-labor.

Asked by syracuse.com | The Post-Standard during a visit to Syracuse on Thursday what she did to persuade May and Mannion to vote for LaSalle, Hochul did not respond directly but reiterated her position that he is the right person for the job. .

I rely on them to be fair and open-minded, she said. This process will continue when they hear his personal story and examine the body of 5,000 cases, not just a handful that have been hand-picked to create such a false and biased image of him against him.

As of 2021, LaSalle has served as the presiding justice of the Appellate Division of the Brooklyn State Supreme Court, which Hochul says is the busiest and largest state appellate court in the nation, with 21 associate judges, over 400 non-judicial staff and a budget. approximately $69 million. He was appointed associate judge in the Appellate Division in 2014, having been elected a judge to the state Supreme Court in 2008.

LaSalle would be the first Latino leader in the state’s highest court.

May told syracuse.com | Last month’s Post-Standard, she worries about LaSalle’s court record, particularly rulings she sees as undermining abortion rights and trade unions, and thinks he would tip the court towards a opinion that favors prosecutors over defendants.

May noted that LaSalle is a former prosecutor. Prior to becoming a judge, he served as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County and an assistant attorney general in the state attorney general’s office.

LaSalle’s nomination was also criticized by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y. She told her supporters in an email Wednesday that New York deserves a chief justice who can write history without contradicting the values ​​of our communities or putting our rights at risk.

Hochul said LaSalle will go before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week to tell the full story and answer their questions.

I’m confident that people will look at him fairly and objectively and know that this is an individual who is an exceptional jurist, she said. I also need someone who has the hands-on experience of running a court system. He runs one of the busiest in the country, in Brooklyn.

Hochul was in Syracuse to speak at the New York State Agriculture Society’s annual meeting and forum at the Oncenter.

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