1 § 17. All the judges and justices of the courts of record, 2 herein before mentioned in this article, shall receive at stated 3 times for their services, a compensation to be fixed by law, which 4 shall not be diminished during their respective terms of office.

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§ 18. There shall be elected in each of the counties of this 2 State, except the city and county of New York, one county judge, 3 who shall hold his office for four years. He shall hold the county 4 court and perform the duties of the office of surrogate. The county 5 court as at present existing, shall be continued with such original 6 and appellate jurisdiction as shall from time to time be conferred 7 upon it by the Legislature. The county judge with two justices 8 of the peace, to be designated according to law, may hold courts 9 of sessions, with such criminal jurisdiction as the Legislature 10 shall prescribe, and perform such other duties as may be required 11 by law. The county judge shall receive an annual salary, to be 12 fixed by the board of supervisors, which shall not be diminished 13 during his continuance in office. The justices of the peace for 14 services in courts of session shall be paid a per diem allowance 15 out of the county treasury. In counties having a population 16 exceeding forty thousand, the Legislature may provide for the 17 election of a separate officer to perform the duties of the office 18 of surrogate, whose term of office shall be the same as that of the 19 county judge, and all surrogates in office when this Constitution 20 shall take effect shall hold their respective offices until the

21 expiration of the terms for which they were respectively elected. 22 Inferior local courts of civil and criminal jurisdiction, may be 23 established by the Legislature.

1 19. The county judge of any county may preside at courts 2 of sessions or hold county courts in any other county (except 3 the city and county of New York, and the county of Kings), 4 when requested thereto by the county judge of said other 5 county.

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20. The Legislature may on application of the board of 2 supervisors provide for the election of local officers, not to. 3 exceed two in any county, to discharge the duties of county 4 judge and of surrogate, in cases of their inability or of a vacancy, 5 and to exercise such other powers in special cases as may be 6 provided by law.

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1 21. The Legislature may reorganize the judicial departments 2 and districts at the first session after the return of

every enume3 ration under this Constitution, in the manner provided for in the 4 section of sixth article, and at no other time. But the Legis5 lature shall not increase the number of the departments or of the 6 districts.

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22. The electors of the several towns shall, at their annual 2 town meeting, and in such manner as the Legislature may direct,

3 elect justices of the peace, whose term of office shall be four

4 years. In case of an election to fill a vacancy, occurring before 5 the expiration of a full term, they shall hold for the residue of 6 the unexpired term. Their number and classification may be 7 regulated by law. Justices of the peace, and judges or justices 8 of inferior courts, not of record, and their clerks, may be remo9 ved after due notice, and an opportunity of being heard in their 10 defense by such county, city, or State courts, as may be pre11 scribed by law for causes to be assigned in the order of removal.

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§ 23. All judicial officers of cities and villages, and all such 2 judicial officers as may be created therein by law, shall be elected

3 or appointed at such times, and in such manner, as the Legisla

4 ture may direct, except as herein otherwise provided.

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8 24. Clerks of the several counties of this State shall be 2 clerks of the Supreme Court, with such powers and duties as shall 3 be prescribed by law. The clerk of the Court of Appeals shall 4 keep his office at the seat of government. His compensation 5 shall be fixed by law and paid out of the public treasury.

1 § 25. No judicial officer except justices of the peace, shall 2 receive to his own use, any fees or perquisites of office; nor 8 shall any judicial officer in the State, except a county judge, 4 or surrogate, or special county judge or surrogate, or justice of 5 the peace, or police justice; nor shall any judicial officer in the 6 city of New York, or in the city of Brooklyn, practice as an

7 attorney or counsellor at law in any court of record in this State,

8 or act as referee.

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§ 26. The Legislature may authorize the judgments, decrees

2 and decisions of any local inferior court of record of original 3 civil jurisdiction, established in a city, to be removed for review, 4 directly into the Court of Appeals.

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§ 27. The Legislature shall provide for the speedy publica2 tion of all statute laws, and of such judicial decisions, as it may 3 deem expedient. And all laws and judicial decisions shall be 4 free for publication by any person.

1 § 28. The first election of Judges of the Court of Appeals, 2 and of Justices of the Supreme Court, and of judges of the Supe3 rior Court and Court of Common Pleas of the city and county 4 of New York, and of the Superior Court of the city of Buffalo, 5 shall take place at such time as the Legislature shall prescribe 6 between the first Tuesday of April and the first Tuesday of 7 June, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight. The said 8 courts and the Commissioners of Appeals shall respectively enter their duties on the first Monday of July next thereafter.

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§ 29. On the first Monday of July, one thousand eight hun2 dred and sixty-eight, jurisdiction of all suits and proceedings 8 then pending in the present Supreme Court, shall become vested 4 in the Supreme Court hereby established. Proceedings pending

5 in county courts and in suits originally commenced in courts of 6 justices of the peace, shall be and remain in the county courts 7 as is now provided for by law. The Courts of Oyer and Ter8 miner hereby established, shall in their respective counties have 9 jurisdiction on and after the day last mentioned, of all indict10 ments and proceedings then pending in the present courts of 11 Oyer and Terminer. Indictments and proceedings pending in 12 the court of general sessions of the peace in the city of New 13 York, shall be and remain in the said court, subject to all pro14 visions of law relating thereto. Indictments and proceedings 15 pending in the courts of sessions in the several counties of this 16 State shall be and remain in the said courts, subject to all provi. 17 sions of law relating thereto.

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§ 30. The Judges of the present Court of Appeals, and the 2 Justices of the present Supreme Court, are hereby declared to 3 be severally eligible to any office at the first election under this 4 Constitution.

1 § 31. County judges, justices of the peace, and coroners in 2 office when this Constitution shall take effect, shall hold their 3 respective offices until the expiration of the term for which they 4 were respectively elected.

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§ 32. All local courts established in any city or village

2 including the surrogate's court of the county of New York, shall