2006 New York Code - 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.