2006 New York Code - Unified court system for state established; organization; courts of record; service and execution of process.

 
                                 ARTICLE VI
 
                                  Judiciary
 
    Section 1. a. There shall be a unified court system for the state. The
  state-wide  courts  shall  consist  of the court of appeals, the supreme
  court including the appellate divisions thereof, the  court  of  claims,
  the  county  court,  the  surrogate's  court  and  the  family court, as
  hereinafter provided. The legislature shall establish  in  and  for  the
  city  of  New York, as part of the unified court system for the state, a
  single, city-wide court of civil jurisdiction and  a  single,  city-wide
  court  of  criminal  jurisdiction, as hereinafter provided, and may upon
  the request of the mayor and the local legislative body of the  city  of
  New  York,  merge  the two courts into one city-wide court of both civil
  and criminal jurisdiction. The unified court system for the state  shall
  also  include  the  district,  town, city and village courts outside the
  city of New York, as hereinafter provided.
    b. The court of appeals, the supreme  court  including  the  appellate
  divisions   thereof,   the  court  of  claims,  the  county  court,  the
  surrogate's court, the family court, the courts or court  of  civil  and
  criminal  jurisdiction of the city of New York, and such other courts as
  the legislature may determine shall be courts of record.
    c. All processes, warrants and other mandates of the court of appeals,
  the supreme court including the appellate divisions thereof,  the  court
  of  claims, the county court, the surrogate's court and the family court
  may be served and executed in any part  of  the  state.  All  processes,
  warrants and other mandates of the courts or court of civil and criminal
  jurisdiction  of the city of New York may, subject to such limitation as
  may be prescribed by the legislature, be served and executed in any part
  of the state. The legislature may provide that processes,  warrants  and
  other  mandates  of the district court may be served and executed in any
  part of the state and that processes, warrants  and  other  mandates  of
  town, village and city courts outside the city of New York may be served
  and  executed in any part of the county in which such courts are located
  or in any part of any adjoining county.