Funviralpark 
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday named Hector D. LaSalle, a conservative legal scholar who stands with the Center for Crisis Pregnancy (CPC), to Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court for a 14-year term. LaSalle’s history as a right-wing judicial activist runs counter to the governor’s previous pledge to support abortion rights in New York State.
LaSalle was one of seven candidates submitted to the governor by the state judicial nominating committee, but in a letter Monday, nearly 50 law professors accused Ho-chol of his “nonchalant attitude toward reproductive rights, Hostility to organized labor, alarming indifference to due process.”
read more
Each of them is troubling, but let’s focus on his “nonchalant attitude” to abortion rights.
In 2010, the New York City Council held hearings in the CPC and determined that one of them, Pregnant Maternal Care, was practicing medicine without a license. Based on its findings, the New York Attorney General has submitted a subpoena to learn more about its work.
Judge LaSalle stepped in to protect CPC from the application of the Medical Licensing Act. The court across the board ruled that the Attorney General failed to see the documents before the court itself considered them. The opinion states that the Attorney General was unable to obtain “advertising and promotional materials, pamphlets, and pamphlets that the CPC provided or generally distributed in New York State,” or a list of CPC’s funders after court review. . The opinion, joined by Judge LaSalle, concluded that the information was neither material nor relevant to the Attorney General’s investigation to require disclosure even to the court.
They called his court’s ruling “shocking” and “suggests that Judge LaSalle does not understand the seriousness of the threat to women’s rights by anti-abortion activists and their funders. ” he said.
Current New York law protects abortion rights, but even the most favorable legal choices can be overturned by an activist judiciary. “It is imperative that New York judges recognize the importance of the right to choose and the various deceptive tactics deployed by anti-choice activists,” the letter continued.
To name a person who has ruled in favor of anti-abortion plaintiffs is contrary to Hochul’s previous actions and statements. In June, she signed legislation investigating the effects of her CPC on pregnant New Yorkers. After the same month, Law vs Wade Ho-Chol said the state would be a “safe harbor” for abortion patients, and, like a Louisiana woman forced to travel, to help cope with the upcoming wave of patients from out of state. Established a $35 million fund for abortion clinics. She’s 1,400 miles to New York for an abortion. Hochul called Roe’s overthrow “disgusting on every level.”
LaSalle will also oversee the entire state judiciary, including “more than 3,000 state and local judges, 15,000 staff, 300 sites and millions of cases,” the agency said. . new york times.
Peter Martin, director of legal responsibility for the Center for Community Alternatives, condemned LaSalle’s nomination. “Judge LaSalle’s highly conservative judicial record includes anti-abortion, anti-union and anti-due process decisions,” Martin said in his written statement to the AP. “His decision makes clear that his judicial philosophy is wrong for New York.”
Democratic Senator Brad Hoylman, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said LaSalle will receive a “fair and thorough hearing.” “I look forward to meeting Judge LaSalle and thoroughly reviewing his credentials and records,” Hoyleman said. times.
The State Senate has 30 days to vote on LaSalle’s nomination. The legislative session he will begin on January 4th.
Other works by Jezebel
Sign up for Jezebel’s newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.
