http://www.observer.com/term/thomas-mcnamara en http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/sides-agree-produce-records-keep-talking-out-court ALBANY—We'll have to wait until Monday, or even longer. Judge Thomas McNamara sent the dueling parties in State Senate leadership struggle back to the negotiating table—a move that has become something of a trademark for him. By my count, this is the sixth time legal action related to the case has been adjourned. After a closed, hour-long conference, the two sides also agreed to produce a transcript for the court showing the exact proceedings of June 8,... Politics 2009 Senate Coup Angelo Aponte Governor Jack Casey Local state senate Thomas McNamara Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:09:00 -0400 http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/sides-agree-produce-records-keep-talking-out-court http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/mess-worse-ever ALBANY—Apparently, the court decision that both sides in the State Senate leadership struggle were waiting for has changed nothing. Both sides claimed victory when Justice Thomas McNamara dismissed a suit filed last week by the Democrats, a suit which would have declared Malcolm Smith (still!) the majority leader and president pro tempore in the Senate. Democrats said they would not appeal the ruling, and once again reiterated their desire to work out some sort of... Politics 2009 Senate Coup Craig Johnson David Paterson Dean Skelos Governor Jeff Klein John Sampson Local Pedro Espada Jr. state senate Thomas McNamara Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:46:00 -0400 http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/mess-worse-ever http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/espada-jr-implores-dems-show-session-warns-vaguely-legal-implications ALBANY—Not surprisingly, Republicans are seizing upon the dismissal of the Democratic lawsuit against the coup they hatched last week to call upon their colleagues to join them for session at 3 p.m. State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., the defecting Democrat who has joined the Republicans in a "coalition" government, asked David Paterson to clean up his mess. "As a good Democrat, I must advise the head of my party to come out forcefully and ask these... Politics 2009 Senate Coup David Paterson Dean Skelos Governor Local Pedro Espada Jr. state senate Thomas McNamara Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:08:00 -0400 http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/espada-jr-implores-dems-show-session-warns-vaguely-legal-implications http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/judge-dismisses-democratic-challenge-senate-coup ALBANY—Finally, after delaying for negotiations four times, Justice Thomas McNamara dismissed a lawsuit filed by Democrats to declare Malcolm Smith the leader of the State Senate. I'm not in court because I was covering David Paterson, who spoke with reporters, but got the news from Democratic attorney Michael Kink's Twitter feed. Republicans told me last night that they believe this means the vote they took last week electing Pedro Espada Jr. as president pro tempore and... Politics 2009 Senate Coup Dean Skelos Local Malcolm Smith Michael Kink Pedro Espada Jr. Thomas McNamara Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:36:00 -0400 http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/judge-dismisses-democratic-challenge-senate-coup http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/judge-punts-again-laughter-paterson-counsel-sees-hope ALBANY—Justice Thomas McNamara has punted again. He huddled behind closed doors with lawyers representing both sides in the State Senate leadership dispute, before announcing in court that he was, for the fourth time, giving both sides more time to negotiate. "During the course of that conference several issues were discussed, and based upon the discussions that were held, and my understanding of the negotiative process that is under way, the matter is going to be adjourned... Politics 2009 Senate Coup David Paterson John Ciampoli Local Peter Kiernan state senate Thomas McNamara Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:08:00 -0400 http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/judge-punts-again-laughter-paterson-counsel-sees-hope http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/bipartisanship-how ALBANY—While both sides in the fight over state senate leadership wait to hear from a judge, the 31-31 split in the chamber means things will have to get more bipartisan. Right? "It's not in their political D.N.A. to work in a bipartisan fashion," said Blair Horner, the legislative director of NYPIRG and a longtime Capitol observer. "I don't know how long it takes to get there, but if there's any hope for the session, it's... Politics 2009 Senate Coup Blair Horner Dean Skelos Jeff Klein John Sampson Local Malcolm Smith state senate Thomas McNamara Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:57:00 -0400 http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/bipartisanship-how