ALBANY - Despite headlines in all the state's major publications yesterday and today, the final say on whether the ongoing final count election battles have been decided in the GOP's favor rests with an appeals court, for now.

Even though Justice Ira Warshawsky in Nassau County rejected a hand recount in the state’s Seventh Senate District, declaring Jack Martins, a Republican, the winner over the incumbent, Senator Craig M. Johnson, a Democrat, by 451 votes, Johnson is expected to appeal the ruling this morning... which the state’s chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, made the deadline for alkl decisions regarding Nov 2 races after imposing a list of expedited hearing dates so the disputed elections could work their way through the court system before the New Year, per a request from incoming Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Back to this one in the coming days to see if the Republicans' current 32-30 majority holds...

For stories on where things stand at this moment, click HERE, HERE or HERE.