DeStefano moved out of courthouse chambers for Singas (UPDATED)

                                                                             

Nassau Supreme Court building in Mineola

                                                                           

Newly installed Court of Appeals judge, Madeline Singas has taken over the large third-floor court chambers that had been occupied by Justice Vito DeStefano in the Mineola Supreme Court building.*

Singas, of course, was Nassau's district attorney until Monday when the state senate confirmed Gov. Andrew Cuomo's nomination of fellow Democrat Singas to sit on the state's highest court.

Traditionally, Court of Appeals judges are entitled to a courtroom and chambers in their home counties. 

There were six court chambers available in Supreme Court after the state last year purged judges at or around the retirement age of 70.

But court officials say that Singas, a Democrat, had nothing to do with moving DeStefano, a Conservative elected to the Supreme Court in 2007,  from his chambers.

Justice Vito DeStefano

DeStefano "volunteered" to give up his chambers to Singas because they had several adjoining rooms, including a min-chambers/conference room, that would better provide for "the safety and convenience" of Singas and her staff, said court spokesman Dan Bagnuola.

After leaving a personal note of congratulations to Singas, DeStefano selected and moved to an empty courtroom on the fourth floor, he said.

Bagnuola said the court administration chose the chambers for Singas because of its logistics. She did not know which chambers she was getting, he said. 

*UPDATED: Corrected references to courtroom. Bagnuola said Singas got DeStefano's chambers, not the courtroom that he had been using.