Common Cause/NY Calls on Legislature to Appoint Barbara Underwood Interim Attorney General

NEW YORK, NY (05/10/2018) (readMedia)-- Responding to news reports that acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood would not seek election if appointed by the Legislature, Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner issued the following statement:

"The Legislature should bypass the circus and appoint Barbara Underwood to be the interim Attorney General until the voters have a chance to choose from a field of competitive candidates in the Fall. Underwood is highly qualified and just confirmed that she will not seek election, satisfying Common Cause/NY's chief priority that the electorate, not the Legislature, should choose our representatives."

Two days ago Common Cause/NY initially recommended that the Legislature appoint a placeholder who by defintion will not seek election, saying that:

"The Legislature should appoint a placeholder to serve as the acting Attorney General--someone who will not stand for election--allowing the voters to select from a competitive field of candidates as part of the normal electoral process in the Fall. Politicians should not be advantaging each other while reducing the electorate to bystanders in our own democracy."