This post is being published on January 3^rd, which is the day that the House of Representatives organizes itself for the next two years.  That includes the selection of a speaker, a normally routine function of the party that controls a majority of the House.

But with just a four-vote majority, all is not happy in the Republican Party. There will be quite a show to watch as the Reps struggle to get their leader in place. The “hell no” gang of five will dominate the proceedings if they stay together. There are nine or more others looking for a fight.

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With all the hubbub about elections for executive and legislative offices, and the tens of millions of dollars spent, races for judicial seats get less attention.  In many other states judges of the state’s top court are still elected and hotly contested because of the hoped for or anticipated rulings that a court may decide in things political like legislative districting and state ballot propositions.

New York is different.  We still elect Supreme Court, County and Family Court, and municipal judges, but it has been several decades since voters elected judges to the Court of Appeals.  It was a reform, although some may argue about how well that turned out.

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