Blame NY Progressives for the Outrageous Harvey Weinstein Ruling
Published on April 28, 2024, 6:25 p.m. ET
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court in Los Angeles, Oct. 4, 2022.
If you’re upset about New York’s top court overturning Harvey Weinstein’s sex-crimes conviction, state Sen. Mike Gianaris should be the focus of your outrage. The Queens Democrat, along with his progressive allies, played a key role in the appointment of Chief Judge Rowan Wilson. This decision ultimately led to the 4-3 ruling of the Court of Appeals, which rewrote New York state law.
Previously, New York allowed prosecutors to bring witnesses to testify about the accused’s behavior in incidents not charged in the indictment, similar to Weinstein’s trial. However, Wilson and the “pinch-hitter” judges, appointed in this case, deemed this practice unfair and ordered a retrial of Weinstein’s case on sex-crime charges.
It’s important to note that this ruling may guide Weinstein’s lawyers in contesting his California conviction, which involves similar offenses.
Progressives’ Role in the Drama
Gianaris and his allies, including state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, orchestrated Wilson’s appointment to the chief judgeship in an attempt to steer the court in favor of progressive causes. This includes their desire to create new rights for accused criminals, as highlighted in the Weinstein trial ruling.
Their relentless pursuit of a judge sympathetic to their progressive agenda prompted the removal of Judge Hector LaSalle from consideration as the chief judge nominee. Governor Hochul eventually settled for a “compromise” by appointing LaSalle to a related position.
However, while attention was mostly focused on the implications for progressive-driven gerrymandering, the court-stacking move sets an alarming precedent. This ruling is likely to be the first in a long series of decisions led by Wilson that will outrage the majority of New Yorkers. The court will effectively be forcing progressive ideas into New York state law, without the need for legislative approval.
The only path to undo the damage caused by progressive extremism is to hold all elected Democrats accountable. New Yorkers must exercise their rights to vote and oust any elected official enabling such radical ideologies. This movement can begin in the upcoming November elections.
