COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — When legislative leaders resign midterm, things can get messy.

In Ohio, there's a stalemate over who should replace former Republican Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, who resigned in April amid an FBI probe. The impasse has brought law-making to a standstill.

Kentucky's decision to plow forward with its second-ranking leader has landed lawmakers in litigation. The Democratic attorney general is challenging a pension bill in court. He says then-Republican Speaker Jeff Hoover was the only presiding officer legally authorized to sign the legislation.

In Massachusetts, then-Senate President Stanley Rosenberg resigned May 4 after an ethics report found he failed to protect the Senate from his husband, who faces sexual misconduct charges.

The Republican's departure has left about 40,000 residents without representation. Their state representative died in February.