New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has scheduled a special election May 5 to replace convicted former Rep. Michael Grimm.

Cuomo’s announcement comes after a federal judge on Tuesday ordered him to set the date by noon Friday in a lawsuit brought by voters.

U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein in Brooklyn said the Staten Island Republican congressman’s resignation Jan. 5 left 750,000 residents in a 66-square-mile area “bereft” of an advocate before the government bureaucracy or a voice in Congress.

After stepping down, Grimm pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He has yet to be sentenced.

Friday’s proclamation also sets a May 5 election for the 43rd Assembly District vacated by Karim Camara, who now heads the Cuomo administration’s new Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services.

(AP)