Two weeks after a key committee in the state Senate rejected her nominee to lead New York's top court, it remains unclear what Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan is for who will become the next chief judge.
Hochul on Wednesday after delivering her budget presentation told reporters in a question-and-answer session she was continuing to "weigh all my options" in what to do about the controversy.
For now, it's not clear if that will be a lawsuit to force the state Senate, led by members of her own Democratic Party, to hold a vote for Justice Hector LaSalle, or scrap the nomination entirely and move forward with a new candidate.
"We did what we did and we followed our rules, so I think we want to move ahead," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said this week. "Obviously, we need a chief judge."
Hochul has not spoken extensively about the LaSalle nomination failing, only insisting he was the best choice to lead the court. Opponents had blasted LaSalle's record on rulings that affected labor unions to the state's criminal justice system.
Supporters of LaSalle's nomination have urged Hochul to file a lawsuit to push the nomination forward, pointing to the state constitution not outlining a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee as necessary.
Democrats who have opposed the bid, however, insist the rules dictate their process for the vote.