N.Y. Const. art. VI, § 16: District courts; establishment; jurisdiction; judges; Nassau county district court continued

§ 16. a. The district court of Nassau county may be continued under

existing law and the legislature may, at the request of the board of

supervisors or other elective governing body of any county outside the

city of New York, establish the district court for the entire area of

such county or for a portion of such county consisting of one or more

cities, or one or more towns which are contiguous, or of a combination

of such cities and such towns provided at least one of such cities is

contiguous to one of such towns.

b. No law establishing the district court for an entire county shall

become effective unless approved at a general election on the question

of the approval of such law by a majority of the votes cast thereon by

the electors within the area of any cities in the county considered as

one unit and by a majority of the votes cast thereon by the electors

within the area outside of cities in the county considered as one unit.

c. No law establishing the district court for a portion of a county

shall become effective unless approved at a general election on the

question of the approval of such law by a majority of the votes cast

thereon by the electors within the area of any cities included in such

portion of the county considered as one unit and by a majority of the

votes cast thereon by the electors within the area outside of cities

included in such portion of the county considered as one unit.

d. The district court shall have such jurisdiction as may be provided

by law, but not in any respect greater than the jurisdiction of the

courts for the city of New York as provided in section fifteen of this

article, provided, however, that in actions and proceedings for the

recovery of money, actions and proceedings for the recovery of chattels

and actions and proceedings for the foreclosure of mechanics liens and

liens on personal property, the amount sought to be recovered or the

value of the property shall not exceed fifteen thousand dollars

exclusive of interest and costs.

e. The legislature may create districts of the district court which

shall consist of an entire county or of an area less than a county.

f. There shall be at least one judge of the district court for each

district and such number of additional judges in each district as may be

provided by law.

g. The judges of the district court shall be apportioned among the

districts as may be provided by law, and to the extent practicable, in

accordance with the population and the volume of judicial business.

h. The judges shall be residents of the district and shall be chosen

by the electors of the district. Their terms shall be six years from and

including the first day of January next after their election.

i. The legislature may regulate and discontinue the district court in

any county or portion thereof.