BREAKING NEWS IN BROOKLYN D.A.’s RACE: First, Gentile’s Bay Ridge Democratic Club rejects Hynes; then, Judge orders CBS to turn over emails and other correspondence with Brooklyn D.A. Hynes — two producers and a Hynes insider to be subpoenaed — Court will consider delaying first episode of CBS' "Brooklyn D.A." Show, if necessary

Here’s something that is likely to be spicing up the Joe Lhota - Marty Golden “Republicans for Change” show at the Bay Ridge Manor Tonight  –  for the second night in a row the presumptive GOP candidate for D.A., Charles Hynes (who is a friend of State Senator Marty Golden and is likely to get the GOP line without opposition), has hit a speed bump on his way to a probable Democratic Party Primary victory 

Two nights ago the Bay Ridge Democratic Club voted to endorse one of Hynes’ opponents  —  former Associate U.S. Attorney Kenneth Thompson  —   and this afternoon Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten handed Hynes’ other Democratic Primary opponent, Abe George, a signal victory

According to a report on the Daily News Daily Politics Blog, “Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten ordered CBS to turn over all communications it had with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office about the production and promotion of its upcoming documentary “Brooklyn DA,” said Abe George, the Hynes primary challenger who filed the suit.” (See “Manhattan Judge To CBS: Turn Over Emails On Brooklyn DA Reality Show” by Celests Katz, 5/23/13, Daily News/Daily Politics [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/05/manhattan-judge-to-cbs-turn-over-emails-on-brooklyn-da-reality-show]).

Abe George, who is himself a former Manhattan Assistant D.A., had claimed in his legal papers that CBS and Hynes had colluded and conspired to evade the New York State Election Law by arranging to provide the 2013 Hynes Campaign with an illegal corporate campaign contribution in excess of the limits of the election law.  Earlier in the campaign both of Hynes opponents, Abe George and Kenneth Thompson, had complained that CBS was providing the Hynes Campaign with a huge “donation in kind” by running a six-part series entitled “Brooklyn D.A.” that both George and Thompson alternatively referred to as an “infomercial” or  as “entertainment programming” in the nature of a “reality show” starring Hynes. For its part, CBS described the show as "news programming," in the nature of an inside look into an urban prosecutors’ work; CBS also noted that Hynes, who is 77 years of age, plays only a minor role in the show and doesn't appear until the third episode.

Being an attorney, Abe George thought it was appropriate to take the case into court. Up until earlier this evening, few gave the case, George v. Hynes and CBS, any chance of success.

Hon. Paul Wooten, JSC, shook everybody’s world with his late afternoon ruling that CBS turn over its correspondence about the production and promotion of its show by Friday morning; and in addition the court indicated it would allow Mr. George to subpoena two producers of the six-part prime time show that's set to debut next week along with a Hynes insider who allegedly negotiated certain terms on behalf of the Brooklyn D.A.  A hearing before Justice Wooten that is scheduled for Friday afternoon will attempt to clarify whether Hynes had any editorial control on the show’s content; and to determine if there had been any give and take about when the show would be aired by CBS.  In the event that the defendants can't timely comply with discovery, the Court will consider halting the first episode of the show scheduled for next week.

George Arzt, Hynes’s campaign spokesman, said that “the judge is just going through his due diligence [and] we are optimistic about a positive outcome.”