§ 56. Establishment and duration of eligible lists. 1. The duration of an eligible list shall be fixed at not less than one nor more than four years; provided that, except for lists promulgated for police officer positions in jurisdictions other than the city of New York, in the event that a restriction against the filling of vacancies exists in any jurisdiction, the state civil service department or municipal commission having jurisdiction shall, in the discretion of the department or commission, extend the duration of any eligible list for a period equal to the length of such restriction against the filling of vacancies. Restriction against the filling of vacancies shall mean any policy, whether by executive order or otherwise, which, because of a financial emergency, prevents or limits the filling of vacancies in a title for which a list has been promulgated. An eligible list that has been in existence for one year or more shall terminate upon the establishment of an appropriate new list, unless otherwise prescribed by the state civil service department or municipal commission having jurisdiction.

2. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this section, the duration of eligible lists established on or before December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-six, shall be fixed at not less than one nor more than four years; provided that, except for lists promulgated for police officer positions in jurisdictions other than the city of New York, in the event that a restriction against the filling of vacancies exists in any jurisdiction, the state civil service department or municipal commission having jurisdiction shall, in the discretion of the department or commission, extend the duration of any such eligible list for a period equal to the length of such restriction against the filling of vacancies. Restriction against the filling of vacancies shall mean any policy, whether by executive order or otherwise, which prevents or limits the filling of vacancies in a title for which such a list has been promulgated. An eligible list that has been in existence for one year or more shall terminate upon the establishment of an appropriate new list, unless otherwise prescribed by the state civil service department or municipal commission having jurisdiction.

3. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the name of any applicant or eligible whose disqualification has been reversed or whose rank order on an eligible list has been adjusted through administrative or judicial action or proceeding shall be placed on an eligible list for a period of time equal to the period of disqualification or for the period the application has been improperly ranked, up to a maximum period of one year or until the expiration of the eligibility list, whichever is longer. If an eligible list expires prior to the expiration of such period of restoration, the name of the applicant or eligible shall be placed on a special eligible list, which shall have a duration equal to the longer of (a) the remainder of the period of restoration or (b) two years. An applicant or eligible whose disqualification has been reversed or whose rank order has been adjusted subsequent to the expiration of an eligible list shall be placed on a special eligible list for a length of time equal to the restored period of time not to exceed a maximum of one year.

4. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, where a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that an eligible list is invalid, the court may order the creation of a special eligible list having a duration of not less than one nor more than four years commencing at the time the corrected list is published.