Court halts Lt. Gov swear-in

ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Governor's plan to break the State Senate stalemate has hit a legal roadblock. Republicans in the Senate are certainly going out of their way to stop the decision made by Governor Paterson to elect Richard Ravitch as the State Lieutenant Governor, and this after both sides of the Senate announced they were close to finding common ground on a power sharing arraignment.

The Governor and Mr. Ravitch are holding a press conference to address this decision. Ravitch is the former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York and has solved some major fiscal problems in his time, which is why Paterson said he is needed to help break the tie because crucial deadlines have failed to be met in the Senate.

Republican Senators however, feel the decision was illegal and went so far as to get a Nassau County judge at around 1 o'clock Thursday morning to issue a temporary restraining order to block Ravitch from being sworn in as lieutenant governor. That restraining has or will be issued to Paterson Thursday. Paterson addressed the media just moments ago.

The Governor also went on to say that a Nassau County judge does not have jurisdiction in a matter involving the State Government, it had to be an Albany County judge, but they will not swear in Mr. Ravitch Thursday, instead allow the courts to handle this case.