§ 20. a. No person, other than one who holds such office at the\neffective date of this article, may assume the office of judge of the\ncourt of appeals, justice of the supreme court, or judge of the court of\nclaims unless he or she has been admitted to practice law in this state\nat least ten years. No person, other than one who holds such office at\nthe effective date of this article, may assume the office of judge of\nthe county court, surrogate's court, family court, a court for the city\nof New York established pursuant to section fifteen of this article,\ndistrict court or city court outside the city of New York unless he or\nshe has been admitted to practice law in this state at least five years\nor such greater number of years as the legislature may determine.\n b. A judge of the court of appeals, justice of the supreme court,\njudge of the court of claims, judge of a county court, judge of the\nsurrogate's court, judge of the family court or judge of a court for the\ncity of New York established pursuant to section fifteen of this article\nwho is elected or appointed after the effective date of this article may\nnot:\n (1) hold any other public office or trust except an office in relation\nto the administration of the courts, member of a constitutional\nconvention or member of the armed forces of the United States or of the\nstate of New York in which latter event the legislature may enact such\nlegislation as it deems appropriate to provide for a temporary judge or\njustice to serve during the period of the absence of such judge or\njustice in the armed forces;\n (2) be eligible to be a candidate for any public office other than\njudicial office or member of a constitutional convention, unless he or\nshe resigns from judicial office; in the event a judge or justice does\nnot so resign from judicial office within ten days after his or her\nacceptance of the nomination of such other office, his or her judicial\noffice shall become vacant and the vacancy shall be filled in the manner\nprovided in this article;\n (3) hold any office or assume the duties or exercise the powers of any\noffice of any political organization or be a member of any governing or\nexecutive agency thereof;\n (4) engage in the practice of law, act as an arbitrator, referee or\ncompensated mediator in any action or proceeding or matter or engage in\nthe conduct of any other profession or business which interferes with\nthe performance of his or her judicial duties.\n Judges and justices of the courts specified in this subdivision shall\nalso be subject to such rules of conduct as may be promulgated by the\nchief administrator of the courts with the approval of the court of\nappeals.\n c. Qualifications for and restrictions upon the judges of district,\ntown, village or city courts outside the city of New York, other than\nsuch qualifications and restrictions specifically set forth in\nsubdivision a of this section, shall be prescribed by the legislature,\nprovided, however, that the legislature shall require a course of\ntraining and education to be completed by justices of town and village\ncourts selected after the effective date of this article who have not\nbeen admitted to practice law in this state. Judges of such courts shall\nalso be subject to such rules of conduct not inconsistent with laws as\nmay be promulgated by the chief administrator of the courts with the\napproval of the court of appeals.\n
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