The first and probably most famous signature on the Declaration of Independence is John Hancock’s. His name has become a synonym for signature.

Other famous signers: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

But whose names are there from New York?

That’s the topic of my column for the Fourth of July. And a few more jabs at the New York Senate.

Enjoy.

PHOTO: This photo of part of the first page of a rare draft of the Declaration of Independence, in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson, was released in New York, Tuesday, July 2, 2002, by the New York Public Library. The four-page document, with passages and wording favored by Jefferson, includes a toughly worded passage condemning slavery that was edited out of the final version. (AP Photo/New York Public Library)

An interesting interview with former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, on The Daily Beast.

Here’s part of what she had to say:

“We’re all creatures of our upbringing. We bring whatever we are as people to a job like the Supreme Court. We have our life experiences. For example, for me it was growing up on a remote ranch in the West. If something broke, you’d have to fix it yourself….”

PHOTO:  Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is shown in a 2005 file photo taken in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

A battle is shaping up in New York City over whether to add two Muslim holidays to the school calendar. The City Council is in favor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is opposed.

As the Muslim population grows, it’s a debate many areas will face.

Here’s an idea: Set aside a certain number of holidays and let students take the ones they observe. They might indicate at the beginning of the year what days they would take off.

Maybe it wouldn’t be workable, maybe it would. But wouldn’t it be better than just skipping school because your holiday isn’t recognized.

An Albany update:

Today Democrats tried to claim that by walking through the Senate chambers and making eye contact with the Senate clerk, Republican Sen. Frank Padavan had signed in, thereby providing a quorum that enabled them to pass bills.

Who actually saw Padavan slip into the chambers to get around reporters blocking the hallway? Glenn Blain, former Journal News and now Daily News political reporter.

Padavan, as you imagine, cries foul. In a sworn affadavit, he insists he was just looking for a cup of coffee.

As far as actual business conducted, don’t hold your breath.

Watch blogger Nico Pitney of The Huffington Post and Dana Milbank of The Washington Post tangle over what’s appropriate at a presidential news conference.

Pitney got a call from the White House, solicited questions from Iranians and posed one to President Obama.

Was that proper? Did he get too close to the administration? Was this collusion?

Pitney works for a liberal Web site; Milbank, though a columnist, is a more traditional journalist. The rules are changing but are there pitfalls?

The tape is funny and thought-provoking at the same time.

Plus here’s Pitney on The Huffington Post. And MIlbank’s column.

The New Haven firefighters case would have drawn attention on its own, but now that has it reversed a decision of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, it will get even more.

Here’s Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand defending what Sotomayor did in the case, Ricci v. Stefano.
“Detractors are wrong to use this narrowly-decided decision as criticism of Judge Sotomayor, who did exactly what she was supposed to do in this case.  She and the other Circuit Court Judges strictly followed precedent, which the Supreme Court has reinterpreted today.
“Judge Sotomayor strictly and fairly applied the law in this case, as she has done throughout her long, distinguished career on the bench.  After a comprehensive analysis of her judicial record, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service recently concluded that Judge Sotomayor shows a consistent adherence to the upholding of past judicial precedents.  Judge Sotomayor is a jurist who bases her decisions on the underlying legal precedent and will continue this approach on the Supreme Court.”

That’s how Gov. David Paterson described the work of the state Senate today. And he’s not happy. He called their performance dereliction of duty.

You can read more on Liz Benjamin’s blog in the Daily News.

Meanwhile Sen. Kevin Parker apologized for calling Paterson the “coke-snorting, staff-banging governor”—a reference to Paterson’s admissions to past drug use and infidelity.

Parker needed to apologize. He comments were over the line.

Paterson’s response? “I’m not going to be intimidated by personal attacks.”

Day two of the special session imposed on the state Senate by Gov. David Paterson, and it seems as chaotic as the first day.

Republicans sued the chamber’s secretary, objecting to his locking the doors, turning off the lights and microphones and failing to provide necessary documents. He’s trying to block their new coalition, they claim.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a potential Republican candidate for governor, called for a state constitutional convention to fix Albany’s problems. He wrote an op-ed in The New York Times

And groups such as the New York Public Interest Research Group are complaining about the important legislation that is languishing. Environmental bills include one that would require that electronic waste be recycled, another that would cut New York’s greenhouse emissions.

Meanwhile, the governor may not sign any of the legislation passed by the competing sessions of Republicans and Democrats yesterday. There are doubts the laws would be legal.

What a circus.

Last week I wrote about a bill stalled in Albany that would allow construction workers and others who went ground zero more time to apply for workers’ compensation benefits if they’ve become ill.

Donna Nolan of Yonkers has been fighting for the law for her husband, Jimmy, a 44-year-old carpenter who hurried to help and remained there for 2 1/2 years.

Today he’s is on 10 medications for respiratory problems, rashes,  inflammation and other ailments.

The bill has still not gone anywere.

Contrast Albany with Washington D.C. There New York’s and New Jersey’s senators introduced the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It would provide long-term monitoring and treatment for those who face health consquences from the exposure to the World Trade Center site.

“The destruction of the World Trade Center was an act of war against the United States,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. “Passing this bill will help ensure that the federal government fulfills its obligations to address the health challenges created by the attack on our nation that awful morning.”

An initiative called Fresh Start has won the 5th annual Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East.

The prize was presented to Nimrod Goren, the director of the Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation and Hakam Jadallah, director of the Palestinian Youth Forum for Cooperation. The joint work is called Fresh Start.

Fresh Start seeks to develop leadership in young Israeli and Palestinian professionals to address conflict and find ways to take action together for a more peaceful future.

“The intent of this award is to recognize innovation and reward those who are courageous and committed enough to work together to overcome the religious, cultural, ethnic and political issues which divide the Middle East,” Goldberg, of Scarsdale, said.

IIE is the Institute of International Education.

Today I wrote about the Supreme Court ruling that an Alaskan man had no constitutional right for DNA testing.

The court split 5-4 to deny William G. Osborne access to evidence he wanted to test. Osborne had served time for the rape and assault of a prostitute in Alaska.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that establishing a freestanding right to access to DNA would force the court to confront a myriad of issues.

“We would soon have to decide if there is a constitutional obligation to perserve forensic evidence that might later be tested…If so, for how long? Would the State also have some obligation to gather such evidence in the first place? How much, and when? No doubt there would be a miscellany of other minor directives.”

All good questions, but on the other side, what if a man’s freedom and possibly life is at stake?

He also wrote that the criminal justice system has historically accommodated new types of evidence.

That’s of course true, fingerprinting for example. But how many have led to the exoneration of 240 people wrongfully convicted. I think he underestimated the power of DNA.

As the Innocence Project, the ruling will have limited effect. Most states have their own laws governing DNA access.

Now what about the three that do not?