Constitution of Dougland

## Douglandic Constitutional Convention

Delegates from Astoria, The Green Isles, Chimakumia, and Umpqua debate on what should be included in the Douglandic Constitution

### Location

Sealth

The Constitution of Dougland established Dougland’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens.

It was signed on December 15, 1811, by Astorian, Chimakum, Umpqua, and Green Isleder delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Sealth. At the 1811 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power.

## Constitutional Amendments

**Amendment I (1811)**

The Douglandic Assembly shall make no law against freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.

**Amendment II (1811)**

Section 1.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Section 2.

The Douglandic Assembly shall have power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of Dougland; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout Dougland;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Confederation, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of Dougland, reserving to the Provinces respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by The Douglandic Assembly.

Section 3.

The Douglandic Assembly has the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation.

**Amendment III (1811)**

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

**Amendment IV  (1811)**

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the province and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

**Amendment V (1811)**

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court in Dougland, than according to the rules of the common law.

**Amendment VI (1811)**

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

**Amendment VII (1811)**

The powers not delegated to Dougland by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the Provinces, are reserved to the Provinces respectively, or to the people.

**Amendment VIII (1811)**

Section 1. The Electorate shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President.

Section 2. The person having the greatest Number of votes for President and Vice President , shall be the President and Vice President, if such number be a majority of the whole electorate.

**Amendment IX (1811)**

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within Dougland, or any place subject to its jurisdiction.

Section 2. The Douglandic Assembly shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

**Amendment X (1811)**

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in Dougland, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of Dougland and of the Province wherein they reside. No Province shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of Dougland; nor shall any Province deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the Provinces according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each Province.

Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in The Assembly, or hold any office, civil or military, under Dougland, or under any Province, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of The Douglandic Assembly, or as an officer of Dougland, or as a member of any Provincial legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any Province, to support the Constitution of the Dougland, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But The Douglandic Assembly may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of Dougland, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither Dougland nor any Province shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against Dougland; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5.  The Douglandic Assembly has the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation.

**Amendment XI (1811)**

Section 1. The right of citizens of Dougland to vote shall not be denied or abridged by Dougland or by any Province on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Section 2. The Douglandic Assembly shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

**Amendment XII (1811)**

The Douglandic Assembly shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several Provinces, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

**Amendment XIII (1811)**

The Senate of Dougland shall be composed of five Senators from each Province, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any Province in the Senate, the executive authority of such Province shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

Each Province will have one representative in the house per 100,000 thousand people.

**Amendment XIV (1864)**

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

**Amendment XV (1923)**

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of February, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of February, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2. The Assembly shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of Feburary, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and The Assembly may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4. The Assembly may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several provinces within seven years from the date of its submission.

**Amendment XVI (1945)**

Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than thrice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by The Assembly, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several Provinces within seven years from the date of its submission to the Provinces by The Assembly.

**Amendment XVII (1953)**

Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Assembly.

Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as The Assembly may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as The Assembly may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon  The Assembly shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Assembly, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if The Assembly is not in session, within twenty-one days after The Assembly is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

**Amendment XVIII (1962)**

Section 1: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by Dougland or by any province on account of sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, and creed.

Section 2: The Assembly shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

**Amendment XIX (1971)**

Section 1. The right of citizens of Dougland, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by Dougland or by any Province on account of age.

Section 2. The Assembly shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.