Cup of Coffee sets off legal challenges in New York State Senate

WKR already delved into the legislative fantasy land that MMA Weekly talked about in their latest report regarding the possibility of MMA legislation getting done in 2009. (On WKR's unofficial MMA legislative clock which we stole borrowed from The Watchmen, MMA legislation is now at the 'no chance in hell' level for 2009)

The latest episode coming out of Albany is a court challenge due to coffee run, that's right a cup of coffee started a new legal battle. 

Shortly before noon on Tuesday, as Democrats prepared to convene what they expected to be another fruitless one-party session, they saw Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, walk through the rear of the chamber.

Mr. Padavan would later say he had simply been taking a shortcut to the members' lounge to grab a cup of coffee. But to the 31 Democrats in the chamber, that did not matter. Claiming that Mr. Padavan's brief presence gave them the 32-member quorum required to gavel the Senate into session, Democrats began ramming through dozens of measures, including sales tax extensions and bond authorizations that were set to expire at midnight.

By the time the Democrats adjourned, Mr. Padavan's coffee run had thrust the Capitol into a new round of recriminations and legal debate. Democrats insisted that the bills had been lawfully passed, Republicans denounced the session as fraudulent and inappropriate, and Gov. David A. Paterson suggested that he would not sign the bills into law.

The Senate is so desperate to get something done that a coffee run can start off a court battle. Now both sides are presenting sworn affidavits as it is up to the court to decide if the "session" was legal. 

This latest event demonstrates the absolute gridlock facing Albany right now. A gridlock that will prevent anything substantive from getting done with regards to MMA legislation because the government of New York is facing far more serious issues than MMA legalization.