A judge blocked New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sugary drink ban one day before it was supposed to go into effect.
Now, the mayor has held a press conference to talk about what happened today.
Bloomberg stepped up to the mic about 23 minutes late.
"We believe that the judge's decision was clearly an error," said Bloomberg, reminding everyone that he's planning to appeal. "We think that the judge is totally in error in the way that he interpreted the law," he continued.
New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling wrote that the new regulations are "fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences."
"It is arbitrary and capricious because it applies to some but not all food establishments in the City," the judge wrote. "It excludes other beverages that have significantly higher concentrations of sugar sweeteners and/or calories on suspect grounds."
When asked by a reporter about the political consequences of his actions, Bloomberg became clearly agitated.
"It's not a question of political capital," said Bloomberg. "I'm trying to do what's right! ... My job is to do the best I can for New Yorkers."
He also spent a lot of time defending the purpose of the ban and why he thinks it's necessary.
"The best science tells us that sugary drinks are a leading cause of obesity," said Bloomberg. "It's not enough to talk and it's not enough to hope."
He said that it our "responsibility" to solve the problem about sugary drinks, calling the NYC Board of Health a "pioneer."
"We believe that ultimately the courts will find it consistent with the law." said Bloomberg. "When we began this process we knew we would face lawsuits."
And he made sure to note that his team knew that special interests — in this case, trade associations and a union— would sue.
"That's America," he said.
Live stream below:
SEE ALSO: Judge Gives Brief, Brutal Demonstration Of The Soda Ban's Arbitrariness >
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