Lawmakers begin process to find Schneiderman's replacement

ALBANY (AP) - Democrats who control the Assembly have released details of the interview process for selecting a new attorney general after Eric Schneiderman abruptly resigned amid allegations he physically abused four women.
Applicants for attorney general had until 5 p.m. this past Friday to submit a resume and cover letter to the speaker's legislative counsel. A committee of legislators will review the materials, and then public interviews will be held in Albany on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Under state law, the Legislature has the authority to appoint a new attorney general with a joint vote by the Assembly and Senate. With Democrats holding the overall majority, the next attorney general is likely to be a Democrat, as is Schneiderman.
Senate Republicans have declined to participate in the process. GOP lawmakers want Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood to stay in place until the end of the year.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's office said the names of the applicants aren't officially being released before Monday, but numerous potential candidates for serving out the last 7 1/2 months of Schneiderman's second four-year term have emerged.
Those who have publicly expressed interest include Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham law professor who ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2014, and Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat who served 10 years in the Assembly before being elected to the Senate in 2010.