New York lawmakers put the finishing touches Friday on a bill that would make it easier for Gov. Kathy Hochul to fill vacancies on the state's highest court. 

Hochul told reporters the measure gives her more flexibility in picking a nominee to fill the still-open chief judge post, potentially with someone already on the court. Republicans, meanwhile, have left open the possibility of legal action. 

The measure is meant to address how vacancies are filled on the state Court of Appeals and streamline a process that can take weeks to resolve. Under the bill, if the governor nominates a sitting Court of Appeals justice to serve as the chief judge, a nominee to fill that justice's seat on the court can be made from an existing list of potential candidates backed by the state's judicial nominating commission. 

Under the court nomination procedure, a chief judge nominee coming from the ranks of the bench would trigger a new process in which the judicial nominating panel selects a slate of candidates. 

The chief judge post has been vacant since the summer, when Chief Judge Janet DiFiore stepped down. In December, Hochul nominated Judge Hector LaSalle for chief judge, but in an unprecedented move, the Democratic-led state Senate rejected the nomination. 

The introduction of the bill has fueled speculation Hochul would select an existing member of the court. The commission this month included three current members of the court in its candidates for chief judge: Judges Rowan Wilson and Shirley Troutman, as well as acting Chief Judge Anthony Cannataro.

"This creates options. It doesn't lock us into a decision at all," Hochul said Friday. "This gives maximum options to have us move more quickly if we choose to, because otherwise we're going to end up with almost a year of having a split court, 3 to 3, on many decisions. And that's not going to serve the people of New York."

The measure was approved Thursday in the state Senate and in the Assembly on Friday. The bill next heads to Hochul's desk and she is expected to sign it into law.  

Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt, have been critical of the plan. 

"It’s certainly something that we’re looking at,” Ortt said of legal action. "This process should be done a certain way. It should be handled a certain way in the process of integrity that is very important."

Hochul, meanwhile, said the measure will pass legal muster. 

"It is constitutional," she said. "We would only put it forward if it was constitutional."