Since being announced as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s nominee for the New York State Court of Appeals’ next chief judge last month, centrist judge and nominee Hector LaSalle has drawn fierce opposition from progressives and labor unions leading up to a contentious confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
LaSalle is at risk of becoming first judicial nominee to be rejected by the state Senate, as he faces opposition from 14 Democratic senators, including the chamber’s Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris a Queens Democrat, who’ve publicly stated they’ll vote against LaSalle in the event of a full Senate vote.
