Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that a state Supreme Court judge in Suffolk County ruled Feb. 21 that the state's judiciary are entitled to a full floor vote in the state Senate. Republicans took Democrats in the state Senate to court after they voted down a judicial nominee of Gov. Kathy Hochul's in committee. Typically, anything voted down in a legislative committee does not get a floor vote. But Justice Thomas Whelan said Justice Hector LaSalle should have gotten a floor vote as the nominee for the chief judge of the state Court of Appeals. Democrats did give the nomination a floor vote this week, hoping to make the lawsuit moot. But Republicans continued with their lawsuit after the full Senate voted down LaSalle's nomination. Hochul is now choosing from a list of seven candidates for chief judge to make a new nomination to the state Senate. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.