Politicians and unions fighting Hochul’s pick for state’s top court

ALBANY — A growing number of unions and Democratic lawmakers pushed back Friday after Gov. Hochul nominated Hector LaSalle to be chief judge of the state’s highest court.

At least nine Democratic senators said they would not support LaSalle (top right) being put in charge of the Court of Appeals and the state’s sprawling court system due to his history of conservative opinions as an appellate judge and past work as a prosecutor.

“After a careful review of the nominee, I am forced to conclude he would be regressive on issues impacting women’s rights, labor issues, and climate change. I will be a ‘no’ on Judge LaSalle,” Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) tweeted Friday.

That could spell trouble for Hochul’s pick as the Dem-led chamber will vote on LaSalle’s appointment next month.

Democrats hold a supermajority in the 63-seat Senate with 43 members.

Additionally, labor leaders panned the pick, despite LaSalle potentially being the first Latino to lead the state’s highest court.

32BJ SEIU president Manny Pastreich expressed deep concerns with LaSalle’s past, which includes a ruling in favor of allowing corporations to sue unions and union leaders.

“Justice LaSalle’s anti-union and anti-worker record makes him an unacceptable choice to be New York’s Chief Judge,” he said. “New York must be a bulwark against the extreme Supreme Court’s attacks on our basic rights — not an extension of them.”

LaSalle joined a 2015 opinion enabling the now-defunct Cablevision to sue union leaders for criticizing the company’s response to Hurricane Sandy despite a state law meant to curb harassment of labor by management. The Court of Appeals eventually overturned the ruling.

New York State AFL-CIO president Mario Cilento said LaSalle “has unfortunately shown a willingness to put the interests of corporations ahead of workers which is disturbing in a state with a long history of supporting workers’ rights.”

Other critics raised issue with an appeals court ruling in which LaSalle and other justices intervened to shield an anti-abortion pregnancy center from being probed by the state attorney general’s office.

The court blocked subpoena requests for records to determine whether Expectant Mother Care facilities were practicing medicine without a license. Staff at the privately run “pregnancy crisis centers” would encourage women not to have abortions.

Advocate groups of all stripes also voiced opposition to Hochul’s choice over LaSalle’s resume, which includes working as a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and as an assistant attorney general.

“On the issues we hold dear: protecting labor rights, undoing the deep injustices in our criminal legal system, expanding civil liberties, and ensuring abortion rights, Justice LaSalle’s judicial record has demonstrably impeded those values,” Theo Oshiro, co-executive director of immigrant rights organization Make the Road New York, said in a statement.

LaSalle was one of seven candidates submitted to Hochul (top left) by the state’s Commission on Judicial Nomination following the sudden resignation of former Chief Judge Janet DiFiore in July.

Hochul on Friday defended her choice, accusing critics of cherry-picking cases to sensationalize, and called on Senate Dems to examine LaSalle’s entire body of work ahead of their vote next month.

“I’m standing with him. I’m proud of this selection,” Hochul said. “I encourage everyone to give him the fair hearing that he’s entitled to.”