What’s in a name? Everything if your name is Lawrence B. Morris, Lawrence Blake Morris, L. Blake Morris or just plain old Blake Morris.
And it will be up to a State Supreme Court judge on which is Morris’ real name. The decision will determine whether using the name Blake Morris on his nominating petitions, can constitute him being kicked off the Democratic ballot for the upcoming state primary, in which he is challenging State Sen. Simcha Felder (D) in the 17th Senate District.
“He [Morris] used a name that’s not his real legal name,” said Felder’s attorney Aaron Maslow, who filed the court papers with documentation that shows Morris has long utilized his other names on several legal and political documents as well as part of his law practice.
“There’s actually case-law that goes both ways on this, but the case-law that says an alternate name is acceptable is a variance on the person’s first name. The most famous case was [former borough president and state senator] Marty Markowitz, who used Marty on his petitions instead of his given name Martin,” said Maslow, explaining in this case the judge ruled for Markowitz because Marty is short for Martin.
But in this case the first name is Lawrence not Blake so it will be up to the judge, said Maslow.
Morris responded that he changed his name legally to Blake Morris on his voter registration form on May 24, and that should constitute the ability to use the name on his nominating petitions.
“I’m not surprised he [Felder] is doing this because he’s desperate and this is what desperate looks like. He should just get out of the [Democratic] primary. That’s what he should do,” said Morris, referring to Felder caucusing with senate Republicans since first getting elected in 2012.
While Felder was busy filing court papers, so was Morris, who filed court papers to have Felder thrown off the Conservative and Independent Party lines, which Felder secured through the petitioning process as well as the Republican line.
“He’s [Felder] a Republican. Let’s make an honest man of him and make him run as a Republican,” said Morris.
Democratic allies of Morris also wrote Kings County Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio requesting a hearing to get Felder disenrolled from the Democratic Party. According to the county bylaws, Seddio can at his own discretion hold a hearing on it, but doesn’t have to.
While Seddio had no comment on the letter sent to him, he has said in the past that he doesn’t belive in disenrolling anybody because of political differences.
Maslow said he hasn’t seen the letter to Seddio requesting Felder be disenrolled from the party, but the same type of thing was attempted unsuccessfully in the Bronx about 10 years ago, he said,
There is case-law that holds a state legislator can’t be disenrolled from a political party, because of provisions in the state constitution that says actions taken by a state legislator during the course of public business can’t be held against their party affiliation, Maslow said.
The Primary is Sep. 13. The district includes Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison and Bensonhurst.
