Hochul's Aug. 28, 2026 pardon of Keisy Guerrero Mariano (Keisy G.M. in court papers), a lawful permanent resident convicted of second-degree assault in 2015, erased the sole basis for his deportability and mandatory ICE detention. That ended Genalo v. Black, the Trump administration's Supreme Court appeal of a 2024 2nd Circuit ruling that his 21 months in detention without a bond hearing violated due process; argument had been set for Oct. 13. The ACLU raised the pardon in its Aug. 31 merits brief, Solicitor General D. John Sauer conceded mootness in a Sept. 11 letter, the parties jointly stipulated, and the Court dismissed the case the same day. The 2nd Circuit precedent stands; DOJ says it will seek another case this term. The governor's clemency release did not mention the litigation, and the timing (pardon issued days before the respondent's brief was due) is the core of the criticism. Hochul's office had not commented as of Sept. 12; no Blakeman statement located yet.

On Aug. 31, 2026, Chief Judge Brenda Sannes of the Northern District of New York granted summary judgment against the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129-B/A.3351-B), which Hochul signed Dec. 26, 2024 to collect roughly $75 billion over 25 years from major fossil-fuel companies for climate-adaptation costs. The court held the law is preempted because it regulates in an area of dominant federal interest (the Clean Air Act), relying on the 2nd Circuit's 2021 City of New York v. Chevron decision, and found the state's cost-recovery scheme "not distinguishable" from the city's failed claims. Plaintiffs were 22 Republican-led states (West Virginia v. James), the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of New York State. Hochul said Sept. 1 the state is "looking" at "options of appeal"; her energy adviser Ken Lovett said taxpayers should not foot polluters' bill and the decision is under review. Sponsor Sen. Liz Krueger wants AG James to appeal to the 2nd Circuit. Still pending: a separate DOJ suit in S.D.N.Y., a Vermont case on that state's parallel law, and the Supreme Court's October argument in Suncor v. Boulder County on the same preemption question. Accountability watch: whether the state files a notice of appeal, and what replaces the $75B in the state's resilience math if it loses. Next date: the court directed the parties to file a status report on further proceedings by Sept. 14, 2026 (West Virginia v. James, No. 1:25-cv-00168, consolidated with Chamber of Commerce v. James). As of Sept. 5 no notice of appeal has been reported.

Two threads converged in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2026 25th anniversary. First: Hochul spoke Aug. 28 at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York wearing a black headscarf; a clip posted Aug. 30 by the "End Wokeness" X account drew 4M+ views and a national conservative pile-on (Brandon Gill, Benny Johnson, Riley Gaines, Megyn Kelly's show, Daily Wire, Townhall and others), much of it invoking the anniversary. Snopes rated the "wore a hijab" framing a Mixture — the headscarf is authentic but her hair was visible, so it was not a traditional hijab. Second: the Retired Port Authority Police Benevolent Association (president John McDevitt) sent Aug. 14 letters asking Hochul and Mayor Mamdani to stay away from the Ground Zero ceremony, objecting to Hochul lighting One World Trade Center for Muslim American Heritage Month; the letters surfaced Aug. 29. Hochul rejected the demand and plans to attend. Her office says she respects 9/11 victims and their families while rejecting anti-Muslim hatred. Sept. 1 escalation: President Trump posted the photo on Truth Social calling Hochul "the Worst Governor in the Country," saying she wears "the hijab" to win "the Arab Vote," and tying it to congestion pricing ("The whole thing is CRAZY!"). Blakeman posted the photo the same day, calling it "political pandering" that was "especially tone-deaf" before the anniversary; Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO Amy Spitalnick called Blakeman's post an example of leaders "exploiting the 9/11 anniversary to (re)normalize Islamophobia." Hochul's campaign scheduled a Rosh Hashanah food distribution with Jewish city officials on Sept. 2. UPDATE (Sept 2, 2026): Hochul responded on camera for the first time — "I was invited as a guest, and I always wear the appropriate attire, whether I am going to a temple... an Orthodox community or... a catholic church in the Vatican," and of Blakeman: "If he has a problem with that, that says more about him than it does anybody else." To his Newsday remark that a hijab and feminism are incompatible: "I just love it when men lecture women on whether or not they are a feminist." Her office cited the 2022 visit to an attacked Ronkonkoma mosque and Officer Islam's funeral as precedent. Blakeman said his post was not an attack on Muslims and that he visits mosques regularly. CAIR-NY's Afaf Nasher said linking the visit to 9/11 is inappropriate. UPDATE (Sept 2, 2026): Hochul answered Trump directly on X: "I was a guest in a Muslim house of worship and showed respect for the people who welcomed me. That used to be standard in this country before you came along. I'll never apologize for treating people of any faith with dignity, no matter how Islamophobic you and your enablers are." The End Wokeness clip had passed 10M views by Sept. 2. BACKFILL (Aug 31, 2026): before the Sept. 1 post, Blakeman told Newsmax he sided with the retired Port Authority officers and that if Hochul and Mamdani attend Ground Zero anyway, "turn your back on them," likening the ceremony to a wake; he was a Port Authority commissioner on 9/11 and lost his nephew, court officer Thomas Jurgens, in the South Tower. UPDATE (Sept 3, 2026): Hochul called the "Hijab Hochul" attack "reprehensible." Blakeman escalated rather than retreated, invoking his nephew's death and saying Hochul "has aligned yourself with Zohran Mamdani who won't speak against 'Global Intifada' which was the goal of his murderers." The Post noted Blakeman wore a head covering at a Sikh event in 2025. Next flashpoint: the Sept. 11 ceremony itself, where both Hochul and Mamdani plan to attend.

On Mar. 31, 2026 President Trump issued an executive order directing the U.S. Postal Service and DHS to restrict mail voting: DHS would send each state a list of citizens over 18, states using mail ballots would have to send the federal government a list of every registered voter receiving one, and USPS would decline to deliver mail ballots in states that do not provide the list. The order also sets new mail-ballot design and tracking standards. New York joined 22 other states and D.C. in suing. On Jun. 25 U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found key provisions unconstitutional and enjoined them as to the 24 plaintiff jurisdictions; the 1st Circuit upheld that in late July. On Aug. 11 Talwani issued a second, nationwide injunction in a suit led by the League of Women Voters. On Aug. 21 USPS issued final implementing rules, saying it would not apply them this November unless the Supreme Court cleared the way. On Aug. 24 the Supreme Court, over three dissents, lifted the first injunction on the narrow ground that it was premature, expressly declining to rule on the order's legality; the Aug. 11 injunction still stands, so the order remains blocked. Election-law scholar Rick Hasen expects the trial court to amend the second injunction against the now-final USPS rule. Bearing on New York's Nov. 3 general election, in which mail and absentee ballots are at issue. UPDATE Sept. 14, 2026: after USPS finalized its ballot-mail rule (Aug. 26 Federal Register), Judge Talwani enjoined the final rule on Sept. 4 in the League of Women Voters case and a second judge enjoined it in DSCC v. Trump on Sept. 13. On the night of Sept. 14 the Supreme Court denied the administration's emergency application (No. 26A305) in an unsigned order, finding the government "unlikely to succeed on the merits"; Kavanaugh concurred on timing grounds, Alito and Thomas dissented. The restrictions will not apply to the Nov. 3, 2026 election. New York will run mail and absentee voting under existing state law; AG James said she was "truly relieved," and Hochul said on NY1 Sept. 15 that "elections will be secure in New York State no matter what the Trump administration tries." The order's legality for future elections remains unresolved.

Uber is the sole major funder of Citizens for Affordable Rates, an independent expenditure committee that has spent roughly $12M on advertising backing Governor Hochul's plan to overhaul New York's no-fault car-insurance system — a plan that would reduce the company's exposure. State BOE records also show Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has given Hochul's campaigns $48,000 since 2022, including $38,000 in the current cycle. The insurance fight became one of the fiercest of the 2026 budget season, with Uber and insurers on one side and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association on the other. Blakeman has called the arrangement a pay-to-play scheme; Hochul's campaign and Uber both dispute that framing.

A regional radiological survey run jointly by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. EPA has found elevated radiation on residential properties in the Town of Niagara, a legacy of Manhattan Project-era waste handling in the area. Homeowners organized as Save Our Backyards Niagara have asked the state to declare the neighborhood a state Superfund site and to help them relocate. The dispute became a governor's-race issue in July and August 2026. Hochul wrote to EPA on July 14 urging it to expedite test results, blaming the "wheels of federal bureaucracy." EPA Region 2 Administrator Mike Martucci first called her delay claim an "outright lie," then wrote back on Aug 10 saying federal work was already accelerated: since July 23, EPA and state teams had visited more than 1,200 properties, obtained access from 756 homeowners, and screened 350, working seven days a week. Blakeman visited the affected streets with Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt on Aug 8 and accused Hochul of failing to "take charge" of a crisis in her own home region. Hochul said on Aug 13 she would not visit because others had "politicize[d] their cries for help" and that she was leaving the work to state experts. Ortt has introduced legislation (S.10672) to move radioactive waste under the state Hazardous Waste Superfund; Hochul aides say EPA is better equipped for radiological cleanups and that the change would require additional specialized DEC staff and slow response. As of Aug 16, 2026, no Superfund designation, relocation assistance, or gubernatorial visit has been announced. Update Aug 17-18, 2026: after declining to visit, Hochul joined DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton's Saturday, Aug 15 phone calls to homeowners on Fox and Chester avenues; resident Kellie Moytka said the governor told her she cares about the affected families and, when pressed on permanent relocation, indicated her office is deferring to EPA. Hochul adviser Ken Lovett said Aug 17 that EPA has offered to voluntarily relocate several families while testing continues. Some residents, including the McKiernan family on 99th Street, received no call and were told by EPA that it will only engage on their property if state DEC requests assistance first. DEC and EPA also reported 856 access forms granted across Niagara and Erie counties, with 340-plus properties cleared as of Aug 15. Still no state Superfund designation, state relocation program, or in-person gubernatorial visit. CONTEXT (backfilled Aug 19, reported Aug 11): the reason no state Superfund can be declared here is statutory — New York's Hazardous Waste Superfund does not cover radiological contamination. Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-Buffalo) introduced S.10672 to classify nuclear and radioactive waste as hazardous waste so the program would reach these sites; he was still seeking an Assembly co-sponsor. Ortt also asked DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton to issue written confirmation to owners whose properties test within acceptable standards. Update Aug 18-19, 2026: the survey is expanding beyond Niagara County. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Aug 18 that DEC and EPA will ask homeowners in nine Southtowns communities — Aurora, Boston, Brant, Concord, Eden, Evans, Hamburg, Marilla and Orchard Park — for permission to survey their properties, and that Erie County screenings performed so far have come back clean. More Grand Island homes near Veterans Park were also flagged for testing. Public drop-in sessions continue Aug 20 in Niagara Falls and Aug 24 in Lewiston; Save Our Backyards has its own meeting Aug 25. Still no state Superfund designation, state relocation program, or in-person gubernatorial visit. UPDATE Aug 24: DEC/EPA progress report — access agreements grew to nearly 1,030 signed forms; 726 properties screened since Jul 23; 475+ owners notified no further investigation is needed; 30 properties referred to EPA for additional investigation; 4 recommended for voluntary relocation. New NECRA helpline 844-612-8144 launched Aug 24, with a drop-in session that day at Lewiston Library. Still no state Superfund designation, state relocation program, or in-person gubernatorial visit.

Nassau's legislature approved two legal-representation contracts totaling $730,000 for Abrams Fensterman LLP, founded by Howard Fensterman, the finance chair of Blakeman's gubernatorial campaign. The contracts were signed in May 2026, months before the legislature formally approved them in early August. Blakeman's campaign received a combined $43,000 from firm-linked donors in the six months before the award. Ethics experts said the contracting process lacked the transparency needed to dispel concerns about favoritism or conflicts of interest.

On Jul 29, 2026, Blakeman told reporters at Penn Station that Democrats have "consistently tried to cheat" and, asked directly, said he would accept the November outcome only "if the results of the elections are fair." On Fox Business the same morning he said Democrats would attempt to "steal" the election, citing a New Jersey noncitizen-registration software error; the state Board of Elections said New York's system is different and a similar mistake could not have occurred. His campaign's only cited evidence is the PCFB's since-reversed matching-funds denial and his exclusion from the Dominican Day Parade. He says the campaign is investing in "ballot security" and recruiting thousands of volunteers.

Blakeman's campaign has run a series of AI-generated ads depicting Kathy Hochul, culminating in a minute-long July 7 video in which a deepfake Hochul delivers a fictional "confession" on taxes, tolls and bail. City & State reported in May that an earlier AI video may have violated New York's disclosure law for AI-generated political content; the campaign says the ads are satire, which it argues is exempt, and notes a small "AI" label on the video. Blakeman defended the practice on NY1 on July 9. Hochul's campaign dubbed him "Bruce (Deep) Fakeman." UPDATE (Jul 22, 2026): Blakeman continued defending the AI ads on ABC7 — "you gotta use every tool in the toolbox," calling them satire in the tradition of late-night comedy; a Hochul campaign spokesman called the ads "straight up lying." UPDATE (Aug 10, 2026): State Democratic Committee chair Jay Jacobs filed a formal complaint with the State Board of Elections alleging the ads violate the 2026 election law requiring political communications containing "materially deceptive media" to disclose that the content "has been manipulated." Blakeman again called the ads satire and accused Democrats of trying to cheat. Complaint pending before the BOE. https://nystateofpolitics.com/state-of-politics/new-york/politics/2026/08/11/democrats-blakeman-ai-depictions- UPDATE (Sept 2, 2026): City & State reported the campaign has moved from AI video to mail: official-looking "memorandum of tax assessment" letters sent to NYC homeowners saying "according to our records" they own a second property subject to the pied-à-terre tax, paired with a $50+ donation ask. The package carries "Not official government business" and a "Paid for by Blakeman for New York" disclosure; at least one recipient couple owns only their primary home. The campaign did not say how addresses were chosen; the likely source is the ~950,000-address DOF list Blakeman had criticized the city for releasing. Election lawyer Sarah Steiner: "manipulative scaremongering" but not illegal. https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/09/blakeman-sends-fake-pied-terre-letters-campaign-stunt/415790/

The U.S. DOJ sued New York's Health Department, its Medicaid director, and a fiscal intermediary in June 2026 over alleged fraud in the ~$10B Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) home-care system. UPDATE (Jul 16, 2026): NYS DOH and PPL filed a pre-motion letter to dismiss (Jul 15), arguing the DOJ's requested asset freeze under 18 U.S.C. §1345 is legally foreclosed in a non-criminal case, fraud claims lack sufficient factual allegations, and prior court rulings already upheld the procurement. SEPARATE TRACK (added Aug 17, 2026 refresh): in a private class action arising from the same CDPAP transition, PPL agreed to pay $162M to settle wage-theft claims covering up to 200,000 aides — one of the largest wage-related payouts in New York history, averaging ~$700 per worker, with at least $25M compensating deductions for a mandatory Leading Edge Administrators health plan. A federal judge in EDNY granted preliminary approval July 1, 2026. PPL denies liability and the settlement carries no admission of wrongdoing; payments may not reach workers until early 2027.

TWU International President John Samuelsen wrote the state AFL-CIO urging it not to endorse Hochul, citing the 2025 corrections strike firings, the 2026 LIRR strike, and an order bringing in out-of-state nurses during a strike. The AFL-CIO endorsed her anyway. Update Jul 28, 2026: UUP (~42,000 SUNY faculty/staff) ratified a five-year contract with ~98% approval — a counterpoint on the pro-Hochul side of the split. Update Aug 18, 2026: PEF ratified a five-year contract covering about 60,000 state professional, scientific and technical employees with 88 percent approval, running through April 1, 2031 — the third major state contract ratified in three weeks after UUP (Jul 31) and CSEA (Aug 7). PEF President Wayne Spence credited Hochul's leadership on the deal. TWU has not changed its position.

Hochul backs an amendment letting the Legislature bypass the Independent Redistricting Commission; Siena polling shows bipartisan voter opposition.

The Democrat-majority Public Campaign Finance Board denied Blakeman matching funds on a party-line 4-3 vote over a running-mate filing error; courts reversed it as "arbitrary and capricious."

By declining public matching funds, Hochul keeps her large cash lead but also escapes a rule that would have required disclosing who hosts and attends her fundraisers.

Gambling rose to a top sector for Hochul as the industry pushes to legalize online casino gambling; Delaware North (the Jacobs family) paid Hochul's husband up to $5.35M (2016-2023), and family donations resumed in 2025 after a conflict-driven pause.

Broadway producers gave Hochul at least $479,000 since 2022; months later she proposed a $150M expansion of the NYC theatrical tax credit, partly retroactive.

Nassau signed an expansive 287(g) ICE agreement in 2025; Blakeman vowed to defy new state laws restricting ICE cooperation. On Jul 24, 2026 the AG's new Office of Immigrant Trust sent Nassau (and 11 other agencies) formal notice that the agreement must be unwound by Aug. 25 under the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act. Blakeman says county lawyers are reviewing and will respond in writing by Aug. 14. On Aug. 3, a federal judge (NDNY) denied the DOJ's bid to enjoin the state's 287(g) ban, leaving it in force and strengthening the state's legal position ahead of the Aug. 14/25 deadlines. No change to Nassau's agreement yet. UPDATE Aug 5-6: with the Aug. 25 deadline approaching, the 12 agencies are splitting — St. Lawrence's sheriff calls his agreement "dead in the water," Rensselaer's executive and sheriff openly defy the order amid resident backlash, and Saratoga's sheriff backs a planned lawsuit against the ban. Nassau's written response still due Aug. 14. UPDATE Aug 14: on the response deadline, Hochul and AG James said 5 of the 12 notified agencies will comply; Nassau's police department and sheriff are among the 7 that have not, with 11 days to the Aug 25 statutory deadline. Blakeman did not announce compliance — he publicly defended the agreement as "the most comprehensive agreement with ICE in the United States of America," disputed Hochul's "cruel" characterization, and claimed 2,000 removals of migrants with criminal records in a year (logged as unverified — no primary data published). Same day, Trump appeared at the Nassau County Police Academy with Blakeman, AG Blanche and FBI Director Patel, calling Hochul a "nightmare for crime." No formal Nassau termination or new litigation filing as of Aug 15. UPDATE Aug 18: ICE's own 287(g) roster shows 7 of the original 12 agencies still under agreement seven days before the deadline — Broome, Cattaraugus, Nassau, Niagara, Rensselaer and Steuben counties plus the Nassau County Police Department. The Madison County Sheriff's Office dissolved its agreement citing the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act; Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood is Blakeman's running mate. Broome officials say they house no federal detainees and will follow state law. ICE's monthly reports record one New York 287(g) encounter across May, June and July 2026 (two individuals, Cattaraugus County, Jun 5). Nassau has still announced no termination. UPDATE Aug 24-25 (deadline day): WAMC reports that of the 12 other jurisdictions notified, 11 have said they will withdraw from their 287(g) agreements by Aug. 25 — leaving Nassau as the sole undecided holdout. Blakeman told the New York Public News Network on Aug. 24: "We're still talking with our lawyers. They're reviewing the process. I'll make a decision shortly." Separately, Rensselaer County announced it will join a federal lawsuit to strike down the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, with Sheriff Kyle Bourgault as a named plaintiff; County Executive Steve McLaughlin said the state has not explained how ending the agreements makes anyone safer. Saratoga County Sheriff Jeff Brown has said he will sign on despite his county having no 287(g) agreement. The suit had not been filed as of Aug. 24, and the full plaintiff list is not yet public. UPDATE Aug 25-26 (deadline passed): the 287(g) ban took effect Aug 25 and the fight moved to court and to subpoenas. Fifteen New York county sheriffs filed suit the same day to strike the ban, arguing it nullifies "the ability of independently elected constitutional officers to enter into contracts authorized by federal law"; the state announcement and available reporting do not name all 15 plaintiffs, the court, or the full claims. Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta is among the plaintiffs even though Orange terminated its ICE jail-detention contract. Separately, AG James subpoenaed four counties her office says did not comply — Nassau, Rensselaer, Broome and Steuben. Blakeman's spokesperson declined to comment on the Nassau subpoena; Blakeman defended the agreement at a campaign event ("We removed them from America, and we made safer communities by doing so") and, per Spectrum News, Nassau will not comply. Nassau has still announced no termination. Hochul and James called the suit "a frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars" and said "many of the 12 entities with these agreements have complied without incident" — the state has not published a per-agency compliance count, so the exact number complying is not verifiable from primary sources. Hochul said holdouts would face consequences without specifying them. UPDATE Aug 26 (afternoon): the plaintiff roster and court are now public. Court papers list all fifteen sheriffs — Broome (Frederick Akshar), Cattaraugus (Eric Butler), Cayuga (Brian Schenck), Delaware (Craig DuMond), Franklin (Jay Cook), Fulton (Richard Giardino), Jefferson (Peter Barnett), Lewis (Michael Carpinelli), Madison (Todd Hood), Orange (Paul Arteta), Oswego (Don Hilton), Rensselaer (Kyle Bourgault), Saratoga (Jeffrey Brown), St. Lawrence (Patrick Engle) and Wayne (Robert Milby) — with Hochul, AG James and the State of New York as defendants. The case is Bourgault et al. v. Hochul et al., No. 1:26-cv-01637 (N.D.N.Y.), filed Aug. 25 with the Federation for American Immigration Reform as counsel. The most directly election-relevant fact: Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, a plaintiff, is Blakeman's running mate on the Republican statewide ticket. Hood signed Madison County's 287(g) agreement in July 2025, was warned by the AG in July 2026, ended the agreement as the law requires, and has said he will still honor ICE detainer requests at the county jail. Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley, who refused ICE cooperation in 2025, is not a plaintiff. The sheriffs seek a TRO and preliminary injunction against both the Act and the AG's Office of Immigrant Trust, and per FAIR's release also challenge a Nov. 25, 2026 deadline to terminate federal detention housing agreements (that November date comes from the plaintiffs' filing, not a state source, and is unverified). No judge, hearing date or ruling on the TRO has been reported. Nassau, which was subpoenaed, is not a plaintiff in this suit. UPDATE Aug 26 (late afternoon): Nassau folded. At a news conference Blakeman said the county will comply with the 287(g) ban rather than defy it, ending the standoff in which Nassau was the last undecided holdout — but he said he will still direct county police to cooperate with ICE "whenever possible" and will join the sheriffs' federal suit. He called the statute "written in the blood of victims past, present and future" and said he believes "in the rule of law, even when it's a bad law," and warned that future crimes by undocumented immigrants would be "blood on their hands" for Hochul and legislative Democrats. Hochul, at the State Fair, responded: "We have made dramatic progress. We didn't need any 287(g) agreements... I want local police using local taxpayer dollars to focus on catching local criminals." Reporting in the same piece establishes that 13 jurisdictions held formal agreements when the ban was enacted in May, that Nassau has held more than 1,000 people at its East Meadow jail for ICE since October 2025 (the most of any New York county), and that per Newsday, 147 of the immigrants detained at the Nassau jail between February 2025 and March 2026 had prior violent-crime convictions — under 5% of those arrested there. With Nassau's compliance, every notified jurisdiction has now either withdrawn or said it will; the dispute is now purely litigation (Bourgault v. Hochul, No. 1:26-cv-01637, N.D.N.Y.), where no ruling on the TRO has been reported, plus the AG's four outstanding subpoenas. Nassau's formal termination paperwork has not been published. UPDATE Aug 26 (evening, Capital Tonight): Blakeman clarified that Nassau will not join Bourgault v. Hochul as a co-plaintiff but will file a SEPARATE complaint piggybacking on it — "my sheriff is appointed, so we are joining them with a separate complaint" — because Nassau's sheriff, unlike the 15 elected plaintiff sheriffs, is appointed. He repeated that the law "makes us less safe" and claimed "there were no deaths at the hands of ICE in Nassau County"; the Hochul campaign rebutted by citing the ICE detainee found dead in a Nassau County jail cell in September 2025 (logged as a fact check, rated half_true). Nassau's separate complaint had not been filed as of the Aug 27 afternoon refresh. UPDATE Aug 27: the state escalated from subpoenas to an enforcement suit. AG James filed a state-court action asking a judge to terminate the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office 287(g) agreement — the only one of the 13 jurisdictions that refused to terminate. James: the office "has been given every opportunity to follow the law, yet has chosen not to." Court documents show Rensselaer's agreement, in place since 2018, has been used to remove nine immigrants. The two suits now run in parallel: the sheriffs' federal challenge to the ban (Bourgault v. Hochul, N.D.N.Y.) and the state's enforcement action against Bourgault's office. Nassau's promised separate complaint had still not been filed as of Aug 28. Aug 28: plaintiffs' counsel confirmed Nassau's acting sheriff Matarazzo has NOT yet joined Bourgault v. Hochul, despite Blakeman saying he directed him to; talks ongoing. Judge D'Agostino set the TRO/PI briefing schedule — state response due Sept. 9, sheriffs' reply Sept. 16. UPDATE (Sept 4, 2026): on the one-year anniversary of the Cato ICE raid, Hochul issued a statement defending the 287(g) ban and naming Homan and Mullin; state response in Bourgault v. Hochul still due Sept. 9.

Hochul touts inflation refund checks and tax cuts, but polls show most New Yorkers call the state unaffordable. Update Jul 29 2026: the next round of checks (up to $200, $1B utility-relief program) will arrive September-October, weeks before the Nov 3 election — the second straight fall delivery. Republicans call the timing a gimmick; Hochul says it is direct relief for higher utility bills.

Budget provisions barred on-duty officers from concealing identity and limited ICE at sensitive locations. DOJ sued in WDNY (June 23) and NY countersued in NDNY; the ban took effect June 26. On Aug. 3, 2026, Judge Mae D'Agostino (NDNY) granted a preliminary injunction blocking the mask ban and ID requirements as likely unconstitutional interference with federal law enforcement, while denying the injunction against the separate 287(g) agreement ban. Hochul and James say they are reviewing legal options on the mask ban; sensitive-locations protections were not blocked. Merits litigation continues.

Blakeman signed a first-in-nation ban on public face coverings used to conceal identity; a disability-rights lawsuit was filed and dismissed for lack of standing.

Blakeman launched a program to deputize armed, licensed civilian volunteers during emergencies; Democratic legislators sued, alleging an illegal militia.

Hochul has cited housing costs for outmigration and at times appealed to wealthy former residents to return while opposing new taxes on the wealthy.

Hochul shelved the cap-and-invest carbon-pricing program promised under the CLCPA, citing affordability. A court ordered overdue rules by Feb 2026; DEC appealed (stays the deadline), and end-of-May 2026 budget amendments statutorily pushed the deadline to Dec 31, 2028.

Hochul indefinitely paused congestion pricing in June 2024 weeks before launch, then revived it at a reduced $9 toll for a January 2025 start.

Blakeman's 2024 executive order barred transgender women and girls from women's sports at county facilities; a court struck it down, the county passed a similar law, and AG James and the NYCLU sued.

The Trump DOT moved to revoke approval for the toll; Hochul and the MTA sued and a federal judge (Liman) blocked the termination in March 2026. The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal to the Second Circuit in May 2026; the program remains operational while the appeal is pending.

The Public Campaign Finance Board disqualified Blakeman over a running-mate paperwork technicality; courts overturned the decision and restored ~$4M in funds.

The Trump administration removed the MTA as lead of the Penn Station overhaul in favor of Amtrak; Hochul welcomed it as a savings win and withdrew NY's $1.3B. In June 2026 Amtrak and "Penn Transformation Partners" signed a pre-development agreement and unveiled a ~$7-8B design (renderings included Trump's name and a presidential seal); ~$240M federal is committed and Amtrak says it will proceed with or without the MTA. Cost-sharing remains unresolved.