Judge blocks NY's lt. governor appointment

(AP) - A judge has issued a restraining order blocking Richard Ravitch from serving as New York Gov. David Paterson's lieutenant governor.
State Supreme Court Justice William LaMarca in Nassau County issued his ruling late Tuesday afternoon.
Paterson appointed Ravitch, a former head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, earlier this month as a way of breaking a monthlong leadership deadlock in the state Senate.
Attorneys for the state Senate argued that the state constitution does not allow for the appointment of a lieutenantgovernor when a vacancy occurs. The governor's attorney says a state law allows him to fill some vacant posts until the next election.