The state Senate has unanimously approved pay raises for the state's judges, but it's unlikely that the Assembly will do anything about it before the end of the year.

Senators agreed to appropriate $46.1 million to boost judicial salaries, an issue aggressively pushed by state Chief Judge Hon. Judith Kaye. Under the bill, state Supreme Court judges would earn $165,200 annually, up from $136,700 - comparable to salaries for federal district judges.

But the legislation has to get through the Assembly first, and its Democratic leaders have indicated that they want to raise their salaries as well as those of judges. Historically, legislative and judicial pay raises have been tied together in New York. The last judicial pay raise came in 1999.

The Senate bill covers only judicial wages. Assembly leaders have given no signs that they will act on it this year.

The Assembly may not follow its Senate counterpart by holding a special session this month. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said some issues could get resolved in early January, when the 2008 legislative session officially begins.