New York lawmakers’ creation of a replacement ethics watchdog in July 2022 unconstitutionally violated “bedrock” separation-of-powers principles, a unanimous midlevel appeals court in Albany determined on Thursday in a second-round win for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose attorneys filed the complaint.

With the decision, the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government’s investigative and enforcement authority has been erased by the Appellate Division, Third Department, affirming a September 2023 trial court ruling.