The Saga Continues…

So, quick update on where things stand in what I’m now referring to on Twitter as #NYsenatefail (though I’m sure that’s not original):

The Republicans did get their Temporary Restraining Order barring Lt. Gov.-designate Richard Ravitch from taking the oath of office today, pending further litigation to find out if Gov. Paterson’s bold move yesterday was, in fact, illegally and unconstitutionally bold.  Apparently the Republicans went judge shopping to do this, filing their lawsuit in senate GOP leader Dean Skelos’ home county, Nassau, rather than in Albany.  And the product of their shopping expedition is… State Supreme Court Justice Wolff Ute Lally (great name!).  Liz Benjamin reports:

There’s a good reason why attorneys for the Senate GOP/Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. coalition went all the way to Nassau County – Sen. Dean Skelos’ home turf – in search of a judge to sign a TRO seeking to block the swearing-in of purported LG Richard Ravitch.

State Supreme Court Justice Wolff Ute Lally, described to me by one Nassau County political veteran as a “Republican judge,” has a long pro-GOP history – as does her son, Grant Lally.

Justice Lally, for example, decided a case in 2008 that threw Democratic Sen. Craig Johnson – a top Skelos target – off the Independence Party line.

The attorney in that case? John Ciampoli, the same Senate GOP attorney who traveled down the Thruway last night to file the TRO.

Bonus (boldface added):

Grant Lally is a Long Island attorney, former head of the state Republican Lawyers Association, and former Bush I White House counsel who was a member of the so-called “Brooks Brothers Mafia” that protested the 2000 presidential recount in Florida.

Grant Lally also ran for Congress in 1994 and 1996 on the GOP and Conservative lines against Democratic Rep. Gary Ackerman.

Grant Lally and his parents agreed to pay a $280,000 fine in 1998 for accepting illegal campaign contributions from his family and then lying about it. It was among the largest penalties ever imposed by the FEC at the time.

Double bonus:

The Democrats say Grant Lally and Ciampoli have served as co-counsels in past cases (I have yet to be able to confirm this), and insist it was a conflict of interest for Justice Lally to sign the GOP’s TRO.

[insert snark about justice being blind here]

Now, hilariously, it appears that the TRO was in vain since the oath of office was already administered last night.  BUT LO! Pedro Espada agreed to come back to the Democratic fold today if he could have the majority leader’s slot (or co-majority leader — I’m not really sure). So the Senate Democrats were all ready to solve this themselves, except…

The Senate Democrats had hoped to gavel into extraordinary session at 3 p.m., gavel out immediately and then gavel back in to regular session to codify the leadership deal they have struck with Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. to end the Senate stalemate.

There was only one problem: Sen. George Onorato was missing.

Turns out he had a doctor’s appointment.  In Queens.  Seriously.

So now he’s driving back up to Albany and the Senate is “standing at ease” until 6:30pm.

Only in New York.