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Disgraced former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate won’t take no for an answer. The felon is running for office again — this time for a Democratic district leader’s post in East Elmhurst, Queens, the lowest rung on the ladder. Monserrate lost a comeback bid for a City Council seat last year when he was defeated by Francisco Moya. But he still received 44 percent of the vote in that contest and retains a loyal following on his East Elmhurst-Corona turf.

The New York State Senate on Tuesday night expelled a senator convicted of assaulting his companion, the first time a member of the Legislature was forced from office in nearly a century. Hiram Monserrate, a Democrat from Queens, was convicted last fall of misdemeanor assault after a fight with his companion, Karla Giraldo, that left her with a deep gash on her face, though he was acquitted of more serious felony assault charges. Rather than bringing a close to Mr. Monserrate’s legislative career, the expulsion could be the beginning of a lengthy fight that would play out in the courts...

Roske/APHiram Monserrate vows to fight his expulsion from the state Senate. ALBANY - The state Senate voted to boot embattled Sen. Hiram Monserrate on Tuesday night, citing the lawmaker's conviction in the assault on his girlfriend. The vote was 53 to 8 with one abstention. The dramatic vote came after hours of impassioned closed-door debate - the only question seemed to be just when Monserrate would be expelled. Senate Democratic leader John Sampson, wanted to make the ouster effective on June 30, giving Monserrate time to appeal his conviction of misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend. But with Republican support, there...

One trial down, one restraining order to go. Less than two weeks after state Sen. Hiram Monserrate was convicted of assaulting Karla Giraldo, she's asking a judge to lift an order of protection that has kept the couple apart for more than 10 months. Monserrate's lawyer had announced after the verdict that the separated lovebirds plan to marry, but a wedding would be impossible without the order being vacated. Giraldo's lawyer, Glenn Marshall, wrote to state Supreme Court Justice William Erlbaum, who in a bench trial convicted Monserrate of reckless assault, saying the couple wishes to resume their "intimate relationship...

Democratic State Sen. Hiram Monserrate was found not guilty today of the felony assault after Queens Supreme Court Judge William Erlbaum rendered his verdict after reflecting on the evidence. Monserrate was found guilty of the lesser charge of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in the non-jury trial for dragging his girlfriend down a hallway, an incident that was caught on surveillance cameras. Monserrate, who gets to keep his seat as a result of being acquitted on felony charges, faces up to a year in jail. He will be sentenced Dec. 4.

ACORN, a social justice organization with roots in [New Orleans], battles a string of scandals. The announcement stuck to a wall outside the entrance to ACORN's local office in the 2600 block of Canal Street quietly signals the trouble afoot. In English and Spanish, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now tells walk-up clients that ACORN's housing office has shut itself down for two weeks to immerse itself "in an intensive training program." The sign is a symptom of a tumultuous week in the history of a controversial poor people's social justice movement -- one founded by a New...

ALBANY — A rogue Queens Democrat who last week flipped sides to help Republicans take control of the State Senate has now flipped back back to the Democrats — creating an historic, gridlock-producing 31-31 tie in the 62-member house. Because there is no lieutenant governor — David A. Paterson was elevated last year following disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's departure — no one is quite certain how, or even if, dozens of must-do bills will get passed in the coming weeks. The situation has created a constitutional crisis in which the Legislature is effectively shut down from approving new bills...

Coup plotters have always rationalized their devious plots as necessary to realize the will of the people.The Republican-led junta that seized control of the state Senate yesterday was no exception. "This is a new beginning for New York State," propagandized one of the Democratic turncoats that made the coup possible, Bronx Sen. Pedro Espada. "A new beginning of bipartisan government, a new beginning of real reform." What a crock. This was a GOP power grab, plain and simple. The Republicans saw a chance to overturn last fall's election results, which put Democrats in the majority for the first time since...

. . . Republicans have retaken control of the New York Senate after at least two Democrats, Senators Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) and Pedro Espada (D-Bronx), crossed party lines to caucus with the GOP. The Albany Times-Union has reported that Dean Skelos (R), former minority leader, has been elected majority leader and Espada has been elected Senate president. What this political change portends for the firearms microstamping bill (S.4397) is unknown; however, the legislation has been removed from today's schedule. The NSSF government relations team is on the ground in Albany monitoring this situation. NSSF would like to thank the thousands...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   New York: Status of Anti-Gun Bills Uncertain as Balance of Power Changes in Albany   Monday, June 08, 2009   Please Continue Checking Your Email and www.NRAILA.org for UpdatesOn Monday, June 8 two Democrats, State Senators Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) and Pedro Espada (D-Bronx), switched parties to caucus with the Republicans.  This change allows the Republicans to take control of the New York State Senate.  As of now, the legislature is in upheaval and we are unsure of the status of firearm related bills, including the micro-stamping bill (Senate Bill 4397A). Please hold your calls and...

Malcolm Smith Ousted As Senate Majority Leader; Dems Turn Off Lights, Cut Internet Power In Attempt To Stop Coup Paterson Goes Ballistic: I'm Here To Stand Up For Democracy That was the big question Monday night following a political standoff in Albany. The Republicans said they pulled off a coup, snatching power away from the Senate majority, but the Democrats said it was illegal and that they're still in control of the Legislature. And the whole thing has Gov. David Paterson lashing out at lawmakers. It was a carefully crafted coup -- five weeks in the making, with independent Tom...

<p>Rob Bennett for The New York Times; Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times Two state senators — Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens — moved to defect to the Republican side, which would end Democratic control of the chamber.</p>

After four decades of Republican control, the New York State Senate's Democrats scored a coup in January, finally securing the chamber. Five months later, they may have lost it after a riotous affair went down this afternoon, with two Democrats abandoning their party to join hands with Republicans — who promptly demanded a new roll call vote to find new leadership and oust Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. What's this mean for the fractious effort to beat the legislative session's ticking clock to pass same-sex marriage legislation? In a stunning turn of events, Sens. Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and...

(H/T: Instapundit) It’s been obscured by the Christmas season, but it looks like that incoming State Senator Hiram Monserrate’s (D) recent attack… What? Oh, you missed it? Well, as I noted, it was obscured by Christmas. They arrested the guy after he broke a beer bottle (deliberately broken so that it’d scar more*) and then carved up his girlfriend’s face with it*. Twenty stitches around the woman’s eye, but hey: Monserrate’s supposed to be “hot-tempered” and the woman had another guy’s business card in her purse*. You could hardly expect him to excuse that, right?Anyway, the New York Democratic organization’s...

A New York City councilman accused of intentionally slashing his girlfriend in the face with a broken glass called it an "unfortunate accident" on Saturday. "I have been charged with offenses that I did not commit and am not capable of committing," Hiram Monserrate, a Democratic councilman and state senator-elect, said in a statement a day after he was arrested on domestic violence charges. Monserrate got into an argument with girlfriend Karla Giraldo, 30, early Friday at his Queens house, according to a criminal complaint. Giraldo said Monserrate broke a glass in his hand and cut her face with it,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Some Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib said they were abused by troops from Poland and other coalition countries, according to copies of statements to Army investigators obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The witness statements also include new and more detailed allegations of abuse by military intelligence soldiers, including a civilian interpreter's accusation that an Army interrogator forced a prisoner to walk naked through a cellblock.One soldier has been convicted and six others are facing military charges for allegedly abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib last fall. All are enlisted military police who worked as guards.Most of the...