Brooklyn judges park 50 cars in a city park, even though there are more street spots set aside for them than there are justices, the Daily News has found.

A News investigation found 152 spots designated for state judges on the chronically parking-deprived streets around downtown Brooklyn's courthouses.

Meanwhile, there are 150 judges assigned to Brooklyn's state courthouses, court officials said.

"That's terrible. I'm apoplectic," said Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Judy Stanton. "I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was that bad."

The Daily News found that many of the street spots for judges - labeled NYSJ - were taken up by cops or court officers. But city regulations stipulate that only judges can park in NYSJ zones.

There also are 80 spots in the underground garage of the new Family and Criminal Courthouse at 330 Jay St. - but still, court officials have said they need the parking in Columbus Park to accommodate judge's cars.

"It's outrageous," said Transportation Alternatives official Matthew Roth when The News told him there are a total of 232 spots for 150 judges.

"They have more on-street spaces than there are judges. They have a garage," said Roth. And now they insist they have to use the park?"

Local leaders are battling to push the judges out of Columbus Park between the old Brooklyn Supreme Court building and Borough Hall so the area can be used again as public open space.

Court officials promised in 1999 to move the unpopular judges' cars to the underground garage of the new 32-story courthouse when it opened, community leaders insist.

But the $670 million courthouse has now been open for more than a year and the cars haven't been moved.

Court officials blamed the delay on design problems that cut the number of spots in the new courthouse garage to 80 - though they originally promised there would be 150 to 320 spots.

"We certainly want them out of the park, but they don't belong on the street either when we spent multimillions on a new courthouse," said downtown activist Irene Janner.

Court administration spokesman David Bookstaver said officials "are actively trying to remedy the current parking situation," though he wouldn't disclose details.

"This is a high priority for us," said Bookstaver. "We certainly take it seriously."

Bookstaver said the new courthouse only has room for 80 cars because it was originally designed to use mechanical lifts to stack two cars to save space.

But after the lifts were installed, there were four accidents and only 19 of the machines are being used, he said.

"They didn't work because of space," said Bookstaver. "We simply couldn't use them without damaging the cars."

Still, advocates said judges shouldn't turn a public park into private parking.

"Parks should be the last place people look to use, not the first," said Allison Farina, counsel for New Yorkers For Parks.