OK, this is admittedly a sidetrack into a personal interest, the politics of my home state. But I’ll post the link here with the idea that even political junkies in NY will get a kick out of what’s making headlines in Louisiana today. Enjoy.

Gov. Spitzer met with the four legislative leaders Wednesday to outline their priorities for the final six weeks of the 2007 legislative session. Here’s a look at some of the ideas:

 SPITZER:

 —Campaign-finance reform.

 —Overhaul and shrink public authorities.

 —Streamlined guidelines for siting and building power plants.

 —Wicks Law reform (public construction contracts).

 —Restrictions on violent video games.

 

Abortion-rights groups just held a news conference with Senate Democrats and you might think: what’s the big deal?

But it is very significant. And it means the intense targeting of GOP incumbents on Long Island and in Rochester in the next round of elections.

For years, the National Abortion Rights Action League and other groups have been on friendly-if-not-cozy [...]

The state is likely to move this year’s politically primaries back one week—so that the elections don’t fall on Sept. 11.

The state Senate will pass a bill today to reschedule the contests to the third Tuesday of September, rather than the customary second Tuesday, for this year only, making primary day Sept. 18. Assembly Speaker [...]

Apparently, the state Senate will hold off on voting on a bill to reinstate the death penalty for cop killers. Rather than today, the vote will probably be held later this week.

Jeffrey Deskovic, who served 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, was among a coalition of activists on hand at the Capitol Monday to urge lawmakers to block a move to reinstate the death penalty, even for cop killers.

The Republican-led state Senate is scheduled to vote on such a bill sometime this [...]

A handful of Democrats today introduced a series of bills to make it easier for convicted criminals to use DNA evidence to try to prove their innocence.
Among the measures, one would force the state to test DNA evidence even if the defendant pleaded guilty in the case (as opposed to being convicted by a jury). [...]

The state’s highest court today gave another victory to a criminal defendant and strictly limited a couple’s ability to sue an adoption agency for hiding an adoptee’s family history of schizophrenia and other mental illness.

In the first case,

As per requests, here is how LoHud Assembly members voted on the resolution urging President Bush not to veto a bill passed by Congress to put a timeline on bringing American troops back from Iraq:

Greg Ball, R-Carmel: No.

Adam Bradley, D-White Plains: (absent, excused).

Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh: yes.

Nancy Calhoun, R-Blooming Grove: no.

Sandra Galef, D-Ossining: yes.

Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern: [...]

New York’s highest court gave defendants a victory today on the issue of dismissing jurors.

The case, People v. Alfonso Dukes, centered on the Schenectady resident’s appeal of reckless endangerment charges for allegedly firing two shots at a man romantically involved with his girlfriend. But the legal issue for the Court of Appeals hinged on whether [...]