ALBANY — The morning after a procedural hiccup left New York’s highest judicial post vacant for an extra day, the nominee, Janet DiFiore, was confirmed by a full vote of the State Senate.

Ms. DiFiore, the Westchester County district attorney, won unanimous approval on Thursday to become the chief judge of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, a position that also makes her the head of the state’s judicial branch and the top administrator of the state’s court system. One senator, Tony Avella, a Queens Democrat, abstained after explaining that the Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear a case in which he is a plaintiff.

Image Janet DiFiore Credit... Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Ms. DiFiore brings to the job a robust background in criminal justice: A former State Supreme Court justice who was elected district attorney in 2005, she drew attention for revisiting the case of Jeffrey Mark Deskovic, who served nearly 16 years after being convicted of raping and killing a classmate before being exonerated. (Mr. Deskovic opposed her nomination, saying she had failed to act in several other problematic convictions.)