Three attorneys were among nearly two dozen people who demonstrated across the street from the short-handed New York Court of Appeals on Thursday, to suggest to the governor's office that the upcoming nomination of the next chief judge is "an opportunity to return the state's high court to national preeminence."

Holding signs with unambiguous messages such as "no more prosecutors on our highest court," the group furthered their call for a progressive-minded judge to balance the six-member court consisting of three ex-prosecutors who have aligned as a moderate-conservative bloc on the high court.