June 11, 2009 - 5:18pm By Jimmy Vielkind
ALBANY—An appellate judge just granted a temporary restraining order preventing State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. from acting as temporary president of the New York State Senate, a post he claims to have assumed during a floor coup Monday.
June 12, 2009 - 11:55am By Jimmy Vielkind
ALBANY—The adjournment earlier this morning of the court case pertaining to the State Senate leadership struggle means that an order temporarily restraining State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. still stands.
That order, issued Thursday afternoon by Justice Karen Peters of the Appellate Division, remains in effect until Judge Thomas McNamara rules, which he said he will do Monday. Democrats claim it prevents Espada Jr. from acting as the Senate's temporary president, but Republicans note Peters's order cites a section of the State Constitution which only details gubernatorial succession. Democrats spun the ruling as much broader.
Regardless, Republican attorneys John Ciampoli and David Lewis said they will file a motion asking Peters to "dissolve" the restraining order.
Democrats Meeting at 250 Broadway; Sampson Says 'We Are Not Going Back to the Minority' by Azi Paybarah and Jimmy Vielkind
State Senate Democrats will be a meeting at 250 Broadway this afternoon, where they will attempt to consummate a deal that will bring defector Hiram Monserrate back across the aisle in support of a new conference leader.
Whatever arrangement has been agreed upon so far is being described as "very fluid," Democratic sources kept repeating. This would bring about a 31-31 partisan split in the chamber, which has been crippled by a leadership struggle since Monday.
Read more at:
http://www.politickerny.com/ Though John Sampson of Brooklyn is still denying it, the word is that he has the strongest backing to become the next Senate President.