	In February 2008, a U.S. District Judge denied a motion to dismiss a racial discrimination lawsuit naming Paterson. A white male former staff photographer claimed that he was the victim of discrimination in 2005 when Paterson's office replaced him with a black photographer. According to the "New York Post", Paterson's chief of staff "denied the claim... Paterson, in his deposition, countered that the decision... was simple politics – [the photographer] was a holdover from former Minority Leader Marty Connor, who was ousted by Paterson in 2003."