The Constitution of The Williamsbourg Confederacy
Preamble
We, the people of Williamsbourg, and all territories under her domain, united by the goal of protecting the rights, liberties, and sovereignty of all peoples; united in pursuit of equality for everyone, regardless of trivial factors; hoping to leave tyranny and autocracy in the past, declare the creation of the Williamsbourg Confederacy, and hereby establish this constitution.
Article 1: The Rights of States
Section 1. States will have their sovereignty and authority over their internal affairs and policies.
Section 2. States have the right to-
(I) Form their own militias to defend themselves from aggressors, foreign and domestic.
(II) Ratify their own constitutions, so long as they protect the same rights as the confederal constitution.
(III) Enforce their own policies, as long as they do not violate the rights protected by the constitution.
(IV) Appoint their own head of state.
Section 3. A state may secede from the confederacy with a two-thirds vote by its citizens.
Section 4. State governments must-
(I) Have a democratically elected legislative body.
(II) Have a democratically appointed head of government.
(III) Protect the rights guaranteed by the constitution.
Article 2: The Confederal Parliament
Section 1. Legislative authority will be vested in the Confederal Parliament.
Section 2. The executive officer over the legislature will be the chancellor.
Section 3. The chancellor will be appointed by the president, and approved by the parliament.
Section 4. The chancellor has the authority to-
(I) Propose legislation.
(II) Sign bills into law.
(III) Veto bills.
(IV) Issue executive orders relating to domestic policy.
(V) Cast tie-breaker votes.
(VI) Issue pardons.
Section 6. Parliament has the authority to-
(I) Impeach the president and chancellor.
(II) Levy taxes on interstate commerce.
(III) Impose tariffs and embargos.
(IV) Construct infrastructure with the permission of state governments.
(V) Provide monetary aid to state governments.
(VI) Provide foreign aid.
(VII) Coin currency.
(VIII) Control immigration.
(IX) Call an early presidential election.
Section 7. Members are to be elected and appointed proportionally by a national vote every two years.
Article 3: The Executive Branch
Section 1. The head of the executive branch will be the president, who will be succeeded by the vice president in the event they become unfit for office.
Section 2. The president is elected for a six-year term, by a popular vote, and may serve for no more than two terms.
Section 3. The president will be the commander-in-chief of the confederal armed forces.
Section 4. The president has the authority to-
(I) Negotiate and sign treaties.
(II) Control the confederal military.
(III) Appoint the cabinet.
(IV) Issue executive orders relating to foreign or military policy.
(V) Appoint the chief justice.
(VI) Call an early parliamentary election.
Section 5. The president has an absolute veto over declarations of war.
Section 6. The president has partial veto power over-
(I) Trade embargos, and tariffs.
(II) Legislation relating to immigration, military, and foreign affairs.
Section 7. A candidate must have been a citizen for 10 years and a resident for 20, or be a natural-born citizen to qualify for office.
Article 4: The Judiciary
Section 1. The supreme court will interpret and enforce the constitution.
Section 2. The supreme court of the confederacy will consist of 1 justice elected from each state and 1 chief justice appointed by the president and confirmed by the parliament.
Section 3. Justices will serve for no more than two ten-year terms.
Section 4. Justices cannot have any association with political factions.
Section 5. The supreme court has the authority to-
(I) Declare laws unconstitutional.
(II) Remove the president and chancellor from office.
(III) Declare executive orders unconstitutional.
Article 5: The Armed Forces
Section 1. The confederal government has the authority to form a military force.
Section 2. The confederal military can only be used for foreign threats.
Section 3. The confederal military can be used for domestic threats if requested by state governments.
Article 6: Rights of the People
Section 1. Protection of the right to due process
(I) Suspects are to be treated as innocent until proven guilty.
(II) Suspects cannot be made to incriminate themselves.
(III) No person’s rights can be taken away without a fair, and objective trial.
(IV) Criminals have the right to not be subjected to cruel, excessive, and unfitting punishment.
(V) States cannot require excessive bail.
Section 2. Protection of the right to freedom of thought and speech.
(I) A person has the right to practice their own faith, or non-belief in public and private.
(II) A person has the right to express their own opinions in public and private.
(III) No official religion or ideology can be declared by the confederacy as a whole or any individual state.
(IV) The government cannot outlaw any ideology, religion, or philosophy, nor can it censor its writings, art, and media.
Section 3. Protection of the right to assemble.
(I) Any individual, or group has the right to peacefully assemble.
(II) States cannot require permits for people to assemble.
(III) States can only enforce curfews during times of armed rebellion, or mob violence.
(IV) All citizens of the age of majority have the right to vote in parliamentary elections and petition the government.
Section 4. Protection of personal autonomy.
(I) Any individual has the right to live any lifestyle that doesn’t infringe on the rights of others.
Section 5. Protection of the right to property and self-defense.
(I) The government may not seize the property of a person without their explicit consent and must provide adequate compensation.
(II) No officer may search a person, or their property without a warrant or their consent.
(III) A person has the right to defend themselves if they feel that their life is in immediate danger, and they cannot retreat to safety.
(IV) A person has the right to bear arms.
Section 6. Protection of fundamental rights.
(I) The constitution recognizes that all people are entitled to certain fundamental rights that are not written.
Article 7. Amendment Process
Section 1. An amendment can be proposed by the supreme court, state legislative bodies, and governors.
Section 2. An amendment is automatically brought up to vote if two-thirds of the states have ratified it in their constitutions.
Section 3. An amendment must have the support of three-fourths of parliament, and three-fourths of voters in order to be ratified.
Section 4. An amendment is automatically ratified if all states have ratified it in their constitutions.
Amendment 1
Ratified July 26, 2098
Section 1. The Confederal government has the authority to intervene in state affairs without the consent of the state in times of national emergency.
Section 2. A national emergency could be-
(I) A natural disaster in which the fallout extends across multiple states.
(II) An insurrection that spans across multiple states.
(III) An insurrection that poses a serious threat to the current state government.
(IV) A conflict between states.
(V) A foreign invasion.
Section 3. During a state of emergency, the confederal government has the authority to-
(I) Censor media, and speech.
(II) Take control of state militias, and police.
(III) Take direct control of state governments.
(IV) Declared nation-wide martial law.
(V) Ban public assembly.
Section 4. A state of emergency can be declared by the president, or by the chancellor.
Amendment 2
Ratified July 27, 2098
Section 1. States may not secede unless given approval by the confederal parliament, and a 3/4 majority of its people.
Section 2. If a state attempts to secede without approval, the confederal military may intervene.
Amendment 3.
Ratified July 11, 2099
Section 1. The president will no longer hold the position of commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Section 2. The position of commander-in-chief will be appointed by a college of generals.
Section 3. The president will no longer have power to-
(I) Issue executive orders.
(II) Veto legislation.
(III) Appoint or dismiss the chancellor.
(IV) Appoint the chief justice.
(V) Declare a state of emergency.
Section 4. The powers that the president previously held will be transferred to the chancellor.
Section 5. The president will retain the power to-
(I) Veto declarations of war.
(II) Negotiate treaties.
(III) Appoint the cabinet.
(IV) Meet with the chancellor.
