Judge sets Monserrate hearing for next week

A federal judge has set a hearing next week on whether to temporarily block the expulsion of Queens Democrat Hiram Monserrate whose colleagues voted to remove him because of a misdemeanor assault conviction.

In a civil rights suit filed Thursday in Manhattan, Monserrate asks Judge William Pauley to reverse his removal and bar a March 16 special election to replace him. He  says the state Senate has denied him due process and his constituents their right to representation.

PHOTOS: Click here to see photos of Hiram Monserrate and his trial

The Senate voted 53-8 Tuesday to remove Monserrate, who was convicted last fall of dragging his girlfriend through his apartment lobby.

Pauley declined to issue an immediate stay, noting the Senate is out of session and Monserrate’s staff is still being paid. The hearing is next Thursday.

PHOTOS: Click here to see photos of Hiram Monserrate and his trial