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Updated: Thursday, 09 Jul 2009, 12:28 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 09 Jul 2009, 8:07 AM EDT
ALBANY - Governor David Paterson says appointed Lt. Governor Richard Ravitch won't immediately preside over a special Senate session.
Republicans secured a court order suspending the appointment late Wednesday.
Paterson says he's headed to court, too- state appeals court to take on the GOP contention.
GOP Senate spokesman John McArdle said Thursday that a judge in Nassau County issued the order overnight. He says it temporarily suspends Paterson's plan to have Ravitch provide a tie-breaking vote and preside over the Senate.
The Senate has been gridlocked since a June 8 coup by a Republican-dominated coalition over the Democratic conference that thought it won the majority.
The governor's office did not immediately return a call for comment.
Ravitch says he was sworn in at 8 p.m. Wednesday, hours after Paterson made the surprise appointment long thought to be constitutionally prohibited.
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