Free Republic

Buffalo police have released body camera footage of New York State Supreme Court Justice Mark Grisanti shoving an officer after a fight with his neighbor, then invoking his friendship with the mayor and family ties to law enforcement, before successfully avoiding arrest. Police said Grisanti was drunk at the time. Law360 obtained the videos of the police detaining Grisanti and his wife late last week through a Freedom of Information Law request. The profanity-laced footage reveals in detail that the state senator-turned-judge used physical force against police and justified it, repeatedly threatened officers, and touted his political connections. The Grisantis...

(Reuters) - A Republican state senator whose vote was crucial to legalizing gay marriage in New York has lost his primary election while a Senate colleague who also broke with the party's stance against same-sex unions narrowly escaped defeat. Senators Roy McDonald and Stephen Saland were among four New York Senate Republicans to cast key votes last year to make New York the most populous U.S. state to allow homosexual marriages. After a count of absentee ballots, McDonald was determined to have lost his race while Saland narrowly won in September 13 primary elections. Mark Grisanti, another Republican senator who...

Republicans and Conservatives looking for a truly pro-family candidate on Primary Day, Thursday, Sept. 13, will vote for Roy McDonald. Sen. McDonald is not only the proven friend of families in our community, he is the No. 1 leader whose dedication and vision have helped our families to a better life. snip As senator, Roy has continued his dedication to the well-being of families, especially by sponsoring and seeing approved major legislation to assist individuals with disabilities. Sen. Roy McDonald has been doing right by our community, our families, for a long time. Let’s keep him on the job.

Senators James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald and Stephen Saland Benefiting from Bloomberg-Hosted Fundraiser This Evening New York, NY---- The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today announced it is running an online advertisement throughout New York state in response to a Bloomberg-held fundraiser this evening for the four GOP senators that betrayed the trust of New Yorkers last summer by exchanging a vote for same-sex marriage for campaign contributions. The advertisement, called "Money Dance," is modeled after the practice of some brides and grooms dancing for money with supporters at their wedding. In this case, the four Senators -- Roy...

Two new voting machines were located last night in Buffalo, according to Sen.-elect Mike Gianaris, a Democratic attorney helping his party’s efforts in ballot counting. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Antoine Thompson trails GOP challenger Mark Grisanti by 821 votes, but Gianaris said the new voting machines and how they’ve been handled are a “total disaster” and “complete mess,” adding that lawyers for Thompson are considering legal action that might force a complete recount of paper ballots optically scanned by the machines. This would involve an amount of paper not seen in 50 years; elections in recent New York history have until...