New York AG names ex-judge to investigate Paterson

March 12, 2010|Michael Gormley, Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — Amid concerns over a conflict of interest, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has taken himself off the investigation of two scandals involving Governor David Paterson and appointed a former judge to take over.

Cuomo, a Democrat considering a run for governor, acted yesterday, just two days after a poll suggested the public opposed his involvement in the case.

He named Judith Kaye as the independent counsel to lead the investigation into whether Paterson illegally took World Series tickets or had improper contact with a woman who accused a governor’s aide of domestic violence. Kaye will work with the attorney general’s Public Integrity Unit on the investigation.

Cuomo’s father, Governor Mario Cuomo, appointed Kaye to the state’s top court in 1983 and made her chief judge in 1993, the first woman in that position. On the bench, Kaye wrote groundbreaking decisions on adoption rights for gay couples and the death penalty. The retired jurist has no prosecutorial or investigative background.

“My promise was to be fair and impartial and independent in taking account of the facts,’’ she said.

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