§ 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.