NY Lieutenant Governor: GOP Gets Court To Suspend Paterson's Plan

(AP) Republicans say they've secured a court order suspending Gov. David Paterson's plan to appoint a lieutenant governor to preside over the gridlocked New York Senate.

GOP Senate spokesman John McArdle said Thursday that a judge in Nassau County issued the order overnight. He says it temporarily suspends Paterson's plan to have Richard Ravitch provide a tie-breaking vote and preside over the Senate.

The governor's office did not immediately return a call for comment.

Ravitch says he was sworn in at 8 p.m. Wednesday, hours after Paterson made the surprise appointment long thought to be constitutionally prohibited.

The Senate has been gridlocked since a June 8 coup by a Republican-dominated coalition over the Democratic conference that thought it won the majority.

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Comments

[freaktown]

why is it constitutionally prohibited to have a Lt Gov? New york politics makes no sense.

[mredder4]

What makes less sense is why this partial story was printed. It's incomplete, because it doesn't contain the answer to your questions and many others.

Why would the appointement be unconstitutional?

Why wasn't the Lt Gov. position filled already, since it's been quite a long time since Patterson replaced Spitzer?

If the appointment was unconstitutional, what happens now after it appears the guy has been sworn in?

FINISH THE STORY. I checked this piece this morning and again now, and it hasn't been updated at all.

[mlaiuppa]

What does the New York State constitution say about replacing the Lt. Governor? Is it a public vote, Governor appointment, vote of the legislature?

Let the GOP continue to obstruct and let the voters vote them all out. It's not like people don't know what the GOP is doing and they're sick of it.

[JulieSA]

the NY AG, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, said Paterson's action was unconstitutional. But it's the Republican's fault somehow? What a lame article. And what a dysfunctional state government.

[MisterHands]

I'm not a quitter- I quit...absolutely not necessarily.

[glorialovelace]

"GOP Senate spokesman John McArdle said Thursday that a judge in Nassau County issued the order overnight."

Probably a Town Justice, or a court with no jurisdiction in this matter.

It reminds me of those rabbis who supposedly "excommunicated" Joe Lieberman when he was Al Gore's running mate -- three guys operating out of somebody's basement.

[GrantedBKNY]

Proof that this is about all about power for the GOP and Espada. All their talk about reform is hot air.

[JulieSA]

Paterson was the one who tried to usurp power.

[XLintLuvR]

Are you sure about that? Or did you completely forget that two dems (that if I remember correctly didn't even change party affiliation) switched sides in an effort to....usurp power because they didn't get along with the current speaker.

[blukazoo]

The lesser number of rethugliklans in the legislature tried to usurp power. If you're going to tell the story, start at the beginning, not at the part you like.

[BocaMom]

What a screwed up political state. First, Governor Spitzer sleeping with hookers. Then Patterson's pay for play policy. I hate to say it, but New York was much better off with Republican Governor Pataki. At least, the state was running well and not going broke like California!

[glorialovelace]

Pataki couldn't have saved the economy from imploding. Those were different times. Pataki was no hero.

[amdezurik]

obstruction, obstruction, obstruction. the three rules of PNAC tre.ason

[ManwithaParachute]

Local politics is always more absurdly entertaining. Babes in the Republican wasteland and toddlers in the Democratic pre-school.

[KareninSac]

Habve you noticed it always Republicans who run on a platform of tort reform, bashing attorneys and multi-million verdicts (which don't actually happen very often), but they seem to be the party that is always jamming up the courts? Hmmmmmm

[whiskeytangofoxtrot451]

Is NY trying to prove they can be just as dysfunctional as California?

[The Ogre]

We've got nothing to prove. We are more dysfunctional, hands down.

[jmundstuk]

No, you're not. I live here. You aren't writing IOUs and voting on everything, all the time.

[Tyler-Durden]

easy children. no need for name calling. no one here is a surviving abortion.

the article is about the ridiculous politics that occur at every level. republicans once again demonstrate they are not interested in helping the public, only in power grabbing and manipulation.

hopefully this will resolve, but it will take time, at the expense of the public. it's disgusting politics as usual.

[tokenconservative]

Right, because when the famous Republican Attorney General Cuomo comes out and says that this is constitutionally illegal along with the only outspoken person on the Court of Appeals (that's the highest court in NY, not the Supreme Court), it's a Republican power-play.

[XLintLuvR]

You really have no clue who this happened do you? It was a Republican power play that screwed up the balance. That's why it's necessary to get a tie breaker.

[messy]

Actually, he did.

[dave1111]

Rethugs in the US Senate are saying, "Why didn't we think of that?"