Attorney General James Announces Nominee for the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced her nomination of Ava Ayers to the New York Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government. Ayers is an Associate Professor at Albany Law School, and previously served in the Office of the Attorney General and as a clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, then a Judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Gerard Lynch, then a Judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

“A strong, independent body dedicated to ensuring ethical conduct in New York state government requires commissioners who uphold the ideals of public service,” said Attorney General James. “That is why I am proud to nominate Ava Ayers to the New York Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government. Ava has helped educate future leaders about government, law, and public policy, and has served the cause of justice on both the state and federal level. I am confident Ava will serve our state proudly in this new role, and be a leader in efforts to restore the public’s trust.” 

Ava Ayers has been an educator at Albany Law School since 2016, and spent five years as the Director of the school’s Government Law Center. Previously, Ayers served as Senior Assistant Solicitor General for the Office of the New York State Attorney General. After graduating law school, Ayers served as a law clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, then a Judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and later for Judge Gerard Lynch, then a Judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.  

An online comment page has been created and members of the public have seven days to submit comments on the nominee. Following that period, the nominee will be presented to the Independent Review Committee of New York’s law school deans for review and approval or denial to serve on the Commission. 

 

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The president personally called attorney Bruce Blakeman, the county executive for Nassau County, to persuade him not to run in the GOP gubernatorial primary against Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), saying polling indicated she was the favorite to face off against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, but he entered the race anyway, reported New York Magazine.

“He’s great, and she’s great,” Trump said after Blakeman announced his candidacy. “They’re both great people.”

However, sources told the magazine that Trump believes Blakeman will lose the primary but doesn't want to publicly come out against him, and New York Republicans say the situation reminds them of the 2022 GOP primary, when Lee Zeldin had to spend much of his campaign money to win a fairly uncompetitive race before losing that November.

“He ran a hell of a race against Kathy Hochul, as close as anyone’s come in a generation,” said one New York Republican operative. “Can we say for sure that, if not for the primary, he wins? No, we can’t say that, but boy, he’d have had a better shot.”

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