Original Constitution of Yew

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1. That a two-house legislature be established, consistin g of an Assembly (whomever attends the meeting votes and proposes various issues ) and a Senate (composed of Representatives from all interested Guilds of Yew).

1a. They will meet at seperate times, except during Elections of Offices, al though a log or transcript should be kept for public record of the vote counts a nd debates conducted. 1b. Senators shall approve or reject Treaties and Execu tive Appointments (District Attorneys, Court Justices except for the Supreme Jus tice - who is elected by all, and high-level Officers of the Militia below that of Commander - who is elected directly by all). Senators can attend, but cannot not vote, in the Assembly. 1c. All punishments or impeachments must arise in the Senate, which then are voted on by the Assembly. If a 2/3 majority in bo th houses votes for impeachment, that Senator or Executive must resign immediate ly. No Assemblyman can be removed for any reason. 1c. Assemblies have sol e domain in allocating money and spending it as they see fit. Assemblies may pa ss laws and statues except those interfering with certain rights that will be di scussed later.

2. That a Judicial Branch should be established, ruling over C riminal and Civil Cases. 2a. Judicial Review may declare certain acts that i nterfere with the Rights of Citizens "unconstitutional" and void. Executives en forcing these laws would be subject to impeachment and/or criminal charges. 2b. The Supreme Court Justice shall give guidance on the Virtue of Justice, an d may consider appeals from lower courts and other districts, as the Yew Court i s the Supreme Court of all Britannia. 2c. The Supreme Court Justice shall ap point lesser Court Judges as necessary to rule in Criminal and Civil Cases. 2 d. Lawyers shall be certified by the requirements stated by The Chief Justice, subject to their approval by the Senate. 2e. Civil and Criminal Cases arisin g within the boundaries of Yew only, may be brought to Trial here, although if b oth parties consent, any case in the land may be heard here. 2f. The Supreme Court Judge is to be called, "The/Your Supreme Justice". Lesser judges are sim ply, "Your Justice" or "The Justice". He is elected to a 10 month term (to make adminstration easy). He should be a person of Respect, embodying Virtue and ab ove all a sense of Justice. He is elected directly.

3. An executive branch s hall exist to enforce the laws, defend the Constitution, and to protect against outside and internal aggression.

3a. The Officers of the Executive shall cons ist of a Mayor, a Secretary, and a Militia Commander. All executives shall be e lected for 5 "Earth" Months. 3aa. The Mayor shall represent Yew in all offic al functions in Britannia, or appoint ambassadors for this purpose. The Mayor s hall preside over all official functions (events, town fairs, etc.) in Yew, and shall open and close them all. The Mayor is also the head of the executive, and may direct other officers. In the case of insubordination, the Mayor may reque st the Senate to impeach, but may not himself remove any officer. The Mayor is to be address as either "His/Her/Your Honor" or "Governor" (as they say in NYC, "Hizzonah". 3bb. The Secretary shall edit the Webpage of Yew, and is in ch arge of offical counts and tallies and censuses (censi?). He may appoint office rs to assist him as well. He should be addressed as "Mr. Secretary" or "Ministe r". 3cc. The Militia Commander shall provide organisation and leadership of the Militia, and may appoint under officers of the Militia. He is responsible f or the defence of the town and the Greater Yew area, and may offer bounties and other rewards for service, as well as give medals or other citations. The Comma nder may be addressed as "Marshall/General/Commander". 3b. Any successful cr iminal charge against a standing officer results in immediate removal of that pe rson. 3c. Order of Succession for the Mayor and Secretary, in case of death or removal until a new election: Mayor Secretary Speaker of t he Assembly Senate Majority Leader Assembly Majority Leader Assembly Minority Leader

3d: In the case of the death of a commander, the next highest officer shall take his place, and down the list of militia officers. The new commander should be "confirmed" in a Senate Vote as soon as possible.

4a: The Right of the People to freely assemble shall not be infringed. 4b: The Right of the People to speak freely shall no be infringed. 4c: The Right of the People to bear arms and armour (hehe) shall not be infringed. 4d: The Right of the People to choose their creed, religon, and philosophy shall not be infringed. 4e: The Right of the People to be secure in their Property and Livelihood shall not be infringed by the Government. 4f: Bills of Attainder shall not issue (no retroactive laws). 4g: Income taxes prohibited as a method of raising taxes. 4h: Sales and Head Taxes legal, should be reasonable and not dictated by class or title, no more than once per Earth month. (Not that I recommend mandatory taxation at all, but we could try a "voluntary tax") 4i: All Citizens may attend the Assembly and vote, except Executives, the Supreme Justice, and Senators, who may attend and debate but not vote. 4j: All Citizens may vote for the Executive and Justice, regardless of Office, Sex, Class, or Title.

IMPORTANT:

Proceedures in the House:

The first meeting of the Assembly and Senate should do the following-

Elect a Speaker, who sets the agenda and adheres to it. Set rules for speaking and debating (for example, someone must be seconded by another, and then recognized by the Speaker). Set up some common-sense Committees, like the Senate Militia Committee, which reviews the performance of Militiamen; or the Assembly Appropriations Commitee, which makes a prelimary recommendation of how to spend money.

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