April 5, 2022 – Albany, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the Court of Appeals in Albany. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)
Sep 11, 2023 —
Governor Kathy Hochul says she will try to appeal a court ruling that struck down the state’s ethics panel, saying its structure was unconstitutional.
Shortly after Hochul took office two years ago, she and the Legislature created the state’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. At the time, they said it would restore the public’s faith in government after multiple scandals that included the resignation of her predecessor, former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
But State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Marcelle ruled on Monday that the panel violates the state’s constitution because it is too independent of the governor and her executive powers.
The ruling also says the commission, whose members are chosen…
