NEWS LITE : JUSTICE: YOU CAN WORK IT OUT.

Antonin Scalia says folks should stop bringing their problems to the Supreme Court and figure them out in legislatures. Noting issues such as abortion and the right to privacy, the U.S. Supreme Court justice told an audience Tuesday at Bridgewater (Va.) College: ``Why would you leave that to nine lawyers? It's better to let the people decide. . . . My colleagues and I don't know what John Q. Public thinks. We come from the top cream of society, and then we are set off in our marble palace. . . . I don't go to the neighborhood pub and raise a glass with Joe Six-Pack. . . . I'm not a guru sitting on some windswept Tibetan mountain waiting for someone to ask a question like, `Is there a right to die?' ''

Peck ready to take final bow After 50 years of playing roles ranging from the upstanding Atticus Finch to the despicable Dr. Joseph Mengele, Gregory Peck is ready to just play himself.

On Tuesday, three days before his 80th birthday, Peck said he intends to leave the acting profession.

``I've had a 50-year run, and I don't want to wear out my welcome,'' he said from Paris, where he is on vacation with his French-born wife, Veronique.

The Pecks attended the Festival of Thrillers in Cognac, France, where his 1963 film ``Cape Fear'' was shown, along with a recent Martin Scorsese version. In the latter, he noted, he played ``a bit part as a sleazy Southern lawyer.''

Peck won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in ``To Kill a Mockingbird.''

Peck plans to celebrate his birthday quietly with his wife and two of their children, then spend the rest of the month in Paris.

``We just ad-lib it from day to day,'' Peck said. ``Everything we do is fun. I just couldn't be luckier.''

What's the tax on that lot?

The ``Queen of Mean'' also is a princess of land deals.

New York hotelier Leona Helmsley paid a record $13 million in cash Tuesday for five acres on Miami Beach's exclusive Star Island, The Miami Herald reported.

Helmsley, 75, wants to build a copy of her 11,000-square-foot Phoenix mansion on the property, the Herald reported. The lot comes with tennis courts and dock space for more than one yacht.

Star Island is home to Gloria Estefan, rapper Vanilla Ice and basketball center Rony Seikaly.

Letterman joke misses when

Paquin scores

It was all a joke. That's the deal from the David Letterman camp after it came out that the $10,000 the TV star gave kid actress Anna Paquin on the air Monday night for making a basketball shot was taken back after the show. Executive producer Rob Burnett, who tagged the incident ``Paquingate,'' said on Wednesday that the only legitimate offer was made to Tom Gates, who failed to make a nationally televised shot for $1 million during the NCAA Tournament. He noted that Paquin, 13, who won an Oscar for ``The Piano,'' threw the ball up on her own and was standing much closer to the basket than the designated line. Burnett said that Letterman's showering her with the money on-air was a spontaneous joke. Paquin noted that no one in the live or TV audience was told she couldn't keep the money. The upshot - after consultation with Paquin's dad, the $10,000 goes to Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Oprah opts to put her stock in cash

Oprah Winfrey must have spending on her mind. A Tuesday Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals that she's cashed in about $15.8 million worth of stock in King World Productions, which syndicates her show. Takes her stake in King down to a mere 1.4 million shares.

Crawford clicks with makeup tips

A makeup book by Cindy Crawford was offered up for bids Tuesday and is expected to rake in $1 million, which would be the biggest advance for a sitting - or standing - model. ``Cindy Crawford's Basic'' was done with makeup artist Sonia Kashuk.

MEMO: News Lite in compiled by Karen Duffy from Daily News staff and wire reports.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Anna Paquin: Sure shot

(2) Gregory Peck: It's no act

(3) Leona Helmsley: Big plans