EXISTENTIAL ISSUES
Staten Island's new Judicial District doesn't exist yet, but there's already a court battle brewing over whether a vacant Supreme Court seat up for grabs in the November 4 general election should be considered part of the Democrat-friendly Second Judicial District (as all Staten Island judgeships have been in the past) or part of a new, albeit unofficial, Island District, which would favor Republicans. The debate began after the City Board of Elections couldn't decide how to settle the issue, the Staten Island Advance reports.

KAYE'S FINAL TERM
Meanwhile, Judith Kaye begins her final term as Chief Judge today. She'll go out with a bang: the Court of Appeals is set to hear the appeal of the fraud and conspiracy convictions of Tyco executives Dennis Kozlowski and Mark J. Swartz. "Looking toward September is sort of like rounding the bend toward the finish line, with genuine mixed emotion, as the inevitable end approaches of something very precious to me,"Kaye said during a recent interview, as reported by The New York Law Journal.

NEW LIFE
The old Brooklyn Family Court building has found a second life. The New York Daily News reports that the building now houses two high schools: the Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice, and the Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women.

LAST MINUTE VOTERS
And, for the late-comers, the Gotham Gazette has a brand new guide for last minute voters.