Embattled Gov. Kathy Hochul invoked civil-rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday as she peddled Judge Hector LaSalle as her controversial pick for chief state judge.
“Dr. King called upon us to be just and be fair and not judge people,’’ Hochul preached to around 50 people at Trinity Church in Brooklyn for Sunday services, before heralding LaSalle as “a good man and a great judge.
“We don’t want to be judged ourselves, do we?” she said. “I know in my heart we’re better than that.
““It should not have taken this long for a person of color to lead the highest court in our state, and he will,” said the Democratic governor, referring to LaSalle, who would become the first Hispanic to become New York’s top jurist if confirmed.
The governor — who has taken intense heat over the reputed conservative Democratic judge — continued the line of argument with her second church appearance of the day at Primitive Christian in Manhattan.
“He viewed himself as a Democrat — center-left, not conservative as he’s been called, but center-left. And to think this individual is [labeled] anti-women, anti-choice — he’s stunned,” Hochul said of LaSalle, in response to criticism from unions and others of some of his past rulings.
Hochul donned Buffalo Bills gear as she made her way out of Primitive Christian Church in Manhattan to root for her hometown team Sunday. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
Hochul described LaSalle as a “good man and great judge.” New York State Bar AssociationHochul accused LaSalle’s opponents of “character assassination like I’ve never seen,” while arguing that he “grew up in pro-labor household.
“How many people want their names maligned and their reputation smeared and the lies told about them? None of us want that,” she said. “That’s what Dr. King would expect [of[ us in a non-violent, peaceful way.”
Hochul has refused to withdraw LaSalle’s nomination for top judge, even as a majority of the state Senate Judiciary Committee has vowed to oppose him.
The governor Thursday argued that the full Senate must vote on the pick.
“The Constitution of the state of New York is clear: the New York State Senate has to advise and consent the governor on her appointment,” she said.
But Democratic Senate leaders have said if the committee refuses to push forward LaSalle’s nomination, his bid is dead in the water.
Additional reporting by David Meyer
