Thanks to Sue Susman who pointed us to this story.

Via Elizabeth Benjamin and The Daily Politics

State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi handed Gov. David Paterson a significant victory this afternoon, ruling that each and every member of the deadlocked state Senate - all 62 of them - must convene at the same time in the chamber when the governor calls an extraordinary session.

Teresi ordered the entire Senate to convene at 10 a.m. tomorrow, and called the separate, gavel-in/gavel-out sessions the warring factions have been holding since last week “a fiction” and “an illusion.”

The judge (who happens to be a Democrat) made no secret of his contempt for the Senate mess and issued a harsh rebuke to the senators from the bench.

“You have a unique opportunity as elected officials to take the high road; do the right thing for the greater good,” Teresi said.

“Otherwise there are those citizens of the public who would conclude, if they have not already concluded, that these members have placed their own interests ahead of all other citizens of this state to the benefit of their own personal and selfish interests, and that those same people may also conclude and define that conduct as rude, inconsiderate and egotistical.

Unfortunately I am not without the power to correct or address those issues.”

Paterson’s counsel, Peter Kiernan, said the governor was “very pleased” with the decision.

But the win was short-lived; as the Senate GOP’s attorney, Jack Casey, informed the judge he had already prepared a notice of appeal and plans to file it first thing tomorrow morning.

An automatic stay is granted to public officials when there is a judgment against them and they behing the appeal process, which means, according to Casey, Teresi’s decision is now “frozen.”

See the rest of the story here: The Daily Politics