Who wants to be the state’s next chief judge?

For New York’s most ambitious lawyers, the dream job has finally opened up.

New York’s longtime chief judge, Judith Kaye, is retiring after 15 years in her current position. The state officially announced yesterday that it is looking for a replacement. This job posting is not going to go unanswered.

Appointments to the state’s top court, the Court of Appeals, are ultimately made by the governor, who is limited to choosing from seven candidates put forward by a state commission. To be considered by the commission, a candidate must apply.

With a current salary of $156,000, the job of presiding over the state judiciary would bring a drastic pay cut for many would-be applicants who are partners at major law firms. But a raise may be forthcoming, after a state judge last week ordered the Legislature to up judicial pay.

Many of those who have applied for past Court of Appeals vacancies are already judges of the lower courts. Repeat candidates include Judge James Yates, who, in the span of a month earlier this year, both accepted and subsequently turned down the job of counsel to the governor, as well as Judge Richard Andrias, who sits on a mid-level appellate court in Manhattan.

Another likely candidate, courthouse sources say, is Judge Jonathan Lippman, who previously served as Chief Judge Kaye’s top administrator.

The commission that will vet candidates, the Commission on Judicial Nomination, is made up of 12 members. The governor and chief judge each appoint four members of the commission, while legislators in top posts of the Assembly and Senate fill the remaining four spots.

This year’s commission is an assemblage of lawyers, judges, and professors. A close adviser to Governor Pataki, John O’Mara, heads it.

The deadline for receipt of applications is September 8.