Amendments to the Constitution of the State of New York

Amendment 1. Justices of the peace, how chosen and classified

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Appointment or election of officers, not provided for by this constitution

Except as herein otherwise provided for counties in the city of New York, county officers whose election or appointment is not provided for by this constitution, shall be elected by the electors of the respective counties or appointed by the boards of supervisors, or other county authorities, as the legislature shall direct. In counties in the city of New York the city of New York is hereby vested with power from time to time by local law, to abolish the office of any county officer other than judges, clerks of counties and district attorneys, and to assign any or all functions of such officers to city officers, courts or clerks of counties, and to prescribe the powers, duties, qualifications, number, mode of selection and removal, terms of office and compensation of the persons holding such offices and the employees therein, and to assign to city officers any powers or duties of clerks of counties not assigned by this constitution. The legislature shall not pass any law affecting any such matters in relation to such offices within the city of New York except on message from the governor declaring that an emergency exists and the concurrent action of two-thirds of the members of each house of the legislature, but existing laws regarding each such office shall continue in force, and may be amended or repealed by the legislature as heretofore, until the power herein granted to the city has been exercised with respect to that office. The elective county officers in office at the time this article, as amended, takes effect, shall continue in office until the end of the terms for which they were elected. All city, town and village officers, whose election or appointment is not provided for by this constitution shall be elected by the electors of such cities, towns and villages, or of some division thereof, or appointed by such authorities thereof, as the legislature shall designate for that purpose. All other officers, whose election or appointment is not provided for by this constitution, and all officers, whose offices may hereafter be created by law, shall be elected by the people, or appointed, as the legislature may direct.

Appointment or election of officers, not provided for by this constitution

All county officers, whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution, shall be elected by the electors of the respective counties or appointed by the boards of supervisors, or other county authorities, as the Legislature shall direct. All city, town and village officers, whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution, shall be elected by the electors of such cities, towns and villages, or of some division thereof, or appointed by such authorities thereof, as the Legislature shall designate for that purpose. All other officers, whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution, and all officers, whose offices may hereafter be created by law, shall be elected by the people, or appointed, as the Legislature may direct.

Local officers, how chosen

All county officers whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution shall be elected by the electors of the respective counties, or appointed by the boards of supervisors or other county authorities, as the legislature shall direct. All city, town, and village officers whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution shall be elected by the electors of such cities, towns, and villages, or of sonic division thereof, or appointed by such authorities thereof, as the legislature shall designate for that purpose. All other officers whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution, and all officers whose offices may hereafter be created by law, shall be elected by the people, or appointed, as the legislature may direct.

This item is based on 4 items:

1822 Article Fourth. Section XV

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1826 Amendment 1

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1833 Amendment 4

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1839 Amendment 6

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2 items are based on this item:

1939 Article IX. Section 7

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1939 Article IX. Section 8

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Justices of the peace, how chosen and classified

That the people of this state, in their several towns, shall, at their annual election, and in such manner as the legislature shall direct, elect by ballot their justices of the peace; and the justices so elected in any town shall immediately thereafter meet together, and in presence of the supervisor and town clerk of the said town, be divided by lot into four classes of one in each class, and be numbered one, two, three, and four; and the office of number one shall expire at the end of the first year, of number two at the end of the second year, of number three at the end of the third year, and of number four at the end of the fourth year, in order that one justice may thereafter be annually elected; and that so much of the seventh section of the fourth article of the constitution of this state as is inconsistent with this amendment, be abrogated.

Governor to appoint judicial officers, except justices of the peace

The governor shall nominate, by message, in writing, and with the consent of the senate, shall appoint all judicial officers, except justices of the peace, who shall be appointed in manner following; that is to say: The board of supervisors in every county in this state, shall, at such times as the legislature may direct, meet together; and they, or a majority of them so assembled, shall nominate so many persons, as shall be equal to the number of justices of the peace, to be appointed in the several towns in the respective counties. And the judges of the respective county courts, or a majority of them, shall also meet and nominate a like number of persons; and it shall be the duty of the said board of supervisors, and judges of county courts, to compare such nominations, at such time and place, as the legislature may direct: And if on such comparison, the said boards of supervisors and judges of county courts, shall agree in their nominations, in all, or in part, they shall file a certificate of the nominations in which they shall agree, in the office of the clerk of the county; and the person or persons named in such certificates, shall be justices of the peace: And in case of disagreement in whole, or in part, it shall be the farther duty of the said boards of supervisors, and judges respectively, to transmit their said nominations, so far as they disagree in the same, to the governor, who shall select from the said nominations, and appoint, so many justices of the peace, as shall be requisite to fill the vacancies. Every person appointed a justice of the peace, shall hold his office for four years, unless removed by the county court, for causes particularly assigned by the judges of the said court. And no justice of the peace shall be removed, until he shall have notice of the charges made against him, and an opportunity of being heard in his defence.

3 items are based on this item:

1847 Article Fifth. Section 13

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1847 Article Fifth. Section 17

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1826 Amendment 1

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That all military officers be appointed during pleasure; that all commissioned officers, civil and military, be commissioned by the governor, and that the chancellor, the judges of the supreme court, and first judge of the county court in every county, hold their offices during good behaviour, or until they shall have respectively attained the age of sixty years.

6 items are based on this item:

1822 Article Fourth. Section I

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1822 Article Fourth. Section II

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1822 Article Fourth. Section III

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1822 Article Fourth. Section VII

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1822 Article Fifth. Section III

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1822 Article Fifth. Section VI

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