The Federal Constitution of Zeppy [CLOSED]

[Zeppy]

The Federal Constitution of Zeppy

Preamble

Article I: The Legislative Branch

• Section 1: The Congress
• Section 2: The Senate
• Section 3: The House of Representatives
• Section 4: Both Chambers of the Congress
• Section 5: The Process for Proposed Laws
• Section 6: The Powers of the Congress
• Section 7: The Limits on the Congress

Article II: The Executive Branch

• Section 1: The President, the Vice-President, and the Cabinet
• Section 2: The Powers of the President
• Section 3: The Responsibilities of the President, the Vice-President, and the Cabinet
• Section 4: The Succession, Impeachment and Removal of the President

Article III: The Judicial Branch

• Section 1: The Supreme Court
• Section 2: The Justices of the Supreme Court
• Section 3: The Powers of the Supreme Court
• Section 4: Trial by Jury

Article IV: The States

• Section 1: The Obligations of the Cantons
• Section 2: The Limits on the Canton
• Section 3: The Secession and Creation of Cantons

Article V: The Federal Republic

• Section 1: The Debts of the States
• Section 2: The Capital of the Federal Republic
• Section 3: The Supremacy of the Federal Republic
• Section 4: The Obligations of the Federal Republic
• Section 5: The Power of the Cantons on the Federal Republic

Article VI: The Process for Amendments to the Federal Constitution

The Ratification of the Federal Constitution and Signatures

Amendments to the Federal Constitution

• First Amendment: Enumerates English as the official languages and linguistic rights
• Second Amendment: Freedom of religion, speech, the press, privacy, assembly, and petition
• Third Amendment: Enumerates the right to keep and bear arms
• Fourth Amendment: Rights to a notice of accusations, to confront the accuser, to counsel, to subpoenas, to be free from self-incrimination, to a fair and speedy public trial, to be free from double jeopardy, due process, and rules for eminent domain
• Fifth Amendment: Bans cruel and unusual punishment, and excessive fines or bail
• Sixth Amendment: Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause
• Seventh Amendment: Right of suffrage
• Eighth Amendment: Defines citizenship and reinforces the Fourth Amendment with Equal Protection
• Ninth Amendment: Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime
• Tenth Amendment: Unenumerated rights and limits the powers of the federal government to only those specifically granted by the Federal Constitution
• Eleventh Amendment: Reinforce the Tenth Amendment by specifying additional rights and by providing a process for any person to prove the existence of an unenumerated right
• Twelfth Amendment: Prohibits unfunded mandates and conditions on Spending
• Thirteenth Amendment: Prevents the abuse of the Treaty Power
• Fourteenth Amendment: Establishes limits of Commerce Power
• Fifteenth Amendment: Mandates a Federal Balanced Budget and Establishes the Presidential Line Item Veto
• Sixteenth Amendment: Right to work, unionization and equal pay
• Seventeenth Amendment: Right to education and codifies the Cantonal control over Education

[Zeppy]

Preamble

The People of the Linguistic Communities of the Beautiful Archipelago of Zeppy and the Sovereign Cantons of Catalonia, Vasconia, Valencia, Aragon, Andalusia, Latium, Israel, Acadia, Greece, Tunisia, and Sicily-Sardinia, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to voluntarily unite to strengthen our common goals of commerce and the defence of the Liberty, Peace, and Justice of our homeland, determined to live together with mutual consideration and respect for our ethnolingustic diversity, and our responsibility to provide the general welfare towards future generations, hereby ordain this Federal Constitution of Zeppy to establish the Federal Republic of Zeppy.

[Zeppy]

Article I

Section 1

The legislative power of the Federal Republic shall be vested in a Congress of the Federal Republic of Zeppy, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, and which is hereinafter called the Congress.

Section 2

A) The Senate of the Federal Republic of Zeppy shall be composed of nine Senators from each Canton directly elected by the people of the Cantons every six years for a maximum of three consecutive terms by the electoral method of Single transferable voting.

B) As soon as may be after the Senate first meets, and after each first meeting of the Senate, the Senate shall divide the Senators chosen for each Canton into three classes, as nearly equal in number as practicable, the places of the Senators of the first class shall become vacant at the expiration of two years, the places of those of the second class at the expiration of four years, and the places of those of the third class at the expiration of six years, from the beginning of their term of service, afterward the places of Senators shall become vacant at the expiration of six years from the beginning of their term of service.

C) The qualifications of a Senator shall be as follows: they must be of the full age of thirty years, must be an elector entitled to vote in an election of the Federal Republic, or a person qualified to become such elector, must be a resident of at least two years within the limits of the Canton when they are elected, and they must be a citizen of the Federal Republic of at least eight years.

D) In the case of the removal of a Senator from office or of a Senator's death or resignation, an election to fill a vacant place in the Senate only for the unexpired term shall take place within no less than two nor more than six months of the vacancy by the electoral method of Instant run-off voting.

E) The Senate shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, elect a Senator to be the Chancellor of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Zeppy, and as often, as the office of Chancellor becomes vacant the Senate shall again elect a Senator to be the Chancellor. The Chancellor shall cease to hold his office if the person ceases to be a Senator or when removed from office by a vote of the Senate. The Chancellor will accept the resignation or recall election of any Senator.

F) The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, the Chief Justice shall preside. No person shall be convicted without the consent of two-thirds of the Senate.

Section 3

A) The House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Zeppy shall be composed of Representatives directly elected by the people of the several Cantons in the federal constituencies every two years for a maximum of nine consecutive terms by the electoral method of Instant run-off voting.

B) The number of Representatives elected in the several Cantons shall be apportioned by the Congress within three years following the return of every decennial Census of the Federal Republic of Zeppy, in proportion to the respective numbers of their people, and shall be determined in the following manner: a quota shall be ascertained by dividing the number of the people of the Federal Republic, as shown by the latest statistics from the Census, the number of Representatives to be elected in each Canton shall be determined by dividing the number of the people of the Canton, as shown by the latest statistics of the Census, by the quota, if on such division there is a remainder greater than one-half of the quota, one more Representative shall be elected in the Canton, and three Representatives shall be elected in each Canton, regardless of population.

C) The federal constituencies of the Representatives are adjusted to reflect population changes and the Congress shall review their existing boundaries and will propose adjustments, which shall be submitted for approval to the Parliaments of the several Cantons.

D) The qualifications of a Representative shall be as follows: they must be of the full age of twenty-five years, must be an elector entitled to vote in an election of the Federal Republic, or a person qualified to become such elector, must be a resident of at least one year within the limits of the federal constituencies as existing at the time when they are elected, and they must be a citizen of the Federal Republic of at least six years.

E) In the case of the removal of a Representative from office or of a Representative's death or resignation, an election to fill a vacant place in the House of Representatives only for the unexpired term shall take place within no less than two nor more than six months of the vacancy.

F) The House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment.

G) The House of Representatives shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, elect a Representative to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Zeppy, and as often, as the office of Speaker becomes vacant the House of Representatives shall again elect a Representative to be the Speaker. The Speaker shall cease to hold his office if the person ceases to be a Representative or when removed from office by a vote of the House of Representatives. The Speaker will accept the resignation or recall of any Representative.

Section 4

A) There shall be a session of the Congress once at least in every year, so that twelve months shall not intervene between the last sitting of the Congress in one session and its first sitting in the next session.

B) The presence of at least one-third of the whole number of Members of either Chambers of the Congress of the Federal Republic of Zeppy shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of either Chambers for the exercise of its powers.

C) A majority of votes shall determine questions arising in either Chambers, and each Member of the Chambers has one vote.

D) The Congress may make laws for determining the times, places and manners of elections of the Members of the Congress and the President.

E) A current Member of either Chambers shall be incapable of sitting as a Member of the other Chamber.

F) Any question respecting the qualification of a Member of the Congress, or respecting a vacancy in either Chambers, and any question of a disputed election to either Chamber, shall be determined by the Chamber in which the question arises.

G) Each Chamber may punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its members, suspend or expel a member. A penalty of suspension, when imposed, shall not exceed sixty days.

H) The Members of the Congress shall receive remuneration for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the Federal Republic.

I) The laws ascertaining the compensation of the Members of the Congress, for their services, shall be postponed in their operation until after the election of the Members of the Congress immediately succeeding the passing thereof.

J) Any person shall be incapable of being elected or of sitting as a Member of the Congress and their place shall thereupon become vacant if the person commits the actions as follow: is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign nation, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign nation, or is attained of treason, or has been convicted and is under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, for any offense punishable under the law of the Federal Republic or of the several Cantons by imprisonment for one year or longer, or is an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent, or holds any office of profit under the Federal Republic or the several Cantons, or has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with an incorporated company consisting of more than fifty persons.

H) Each Chamber may make rules and orders with respect to: the mode in which its powers, privileges, and immunities may be exercised and upheld and the order and conduct of its business and proceedings either separately or jointly with the other Chamber.

K) The Members of the Congress shall, in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session. The Members of the Congress shall not be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof.

L) The place of the Members of the Congress shall become vacant if for two consecutive months of any session of the Congress they, without the permission of the Chamber of the Congress, fails to attend the Chamber.

M) Each Chamber shall keep a Hansard as a record of its proceedings that shall be annually published, excepting such parts as may, in its judgment, affect national security, and the yeas and nays on any question shall, at the request of one-fifth of the members of the Chamber present, be entered in the Hansard.

N) Neither Chamber during the sessions of the Congress shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Chambers shall be sitting.

Section 5

A) All appropriation, revenue or tariff bills shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may amend, propose or concur with amendments.

B) No bill shall originate in both Chambers that shall not include as its first provision an enumeration of the specific powers granted to the Congress by this Federal Constitution pursuant to which such bill may become law.

C) Every bill passed by the Congress shall embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title thereof.

D) No bill passed by either Chamber shall become a law unless it has passed three readings on separate days, and printed copies thereof in its final form have been distributed to the Members of such Chamber three days before its passage, except when the President certifies to the necessity of its immediate enactment to meet a public calamity or emergency. Upon the last reading of a bill, no amendment thereto shall be allowed, and the vote thereon shall be taken immediately thereafter, and the yeas and nays entered in the Hansard.

E) If any bill has been passed by one Chamber and transmitted to the other Chamber and the bill is rejected by the other Chamber; or if any bill has been passed by any of the Chambers but with amendments, which neither Chamber will not agree upon, in the same session of the Congress, the President may convene a joint sitting of the Congress to be presided over by the Vice-President.

The Members of the Congress present at the joint sitting may deliberate and shall vote together upon the bill as last proposed by the Senate, and upon amendments, if any, which have been made therein by one Chamber and not agreed to by the other, and any such amendments which are affirmed by a majority of the total number of the Members of the Congress shall be taken to have been carried, and if the bill, with the amendments, if any, so carried is affirmed by a two-thirds majority of the total number of the Members of the Congress, it shall be taken to have been duly passed by both Chambers, and shall be presented to the President.

F) Every bill passed by the Congress shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President. If the President approves, the President shall grant assent, otherwise, the President shall withhold assent and return the same with his objections to the Chamber where it originated, which shall enter the objections at large in its Hansard and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the Members of such Chamber shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other Chamber by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of the Members of that Chamber, it shall become a law. In all such cases, the votes of each Chamber shall be determined by yeas or nays, and the names of the Members of that Chamber voting for or against shall be entered in its Hansard. The President shall communicate the decision of assent of any bill to the Chamber where it originated within seven business days after the date of receipt thereof; otherwise, it shall become a law as if the President had grant assent it.

Section 6

The Congress shall, subject to this Federal Constitution, have the sole power to make laws and shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution for the Federal Republic with respect to: trade and commerce with other nations, and among the several Cantons, taxation, but so as not to discriminate between the several Cantons, bounties on the production or export of goods, but so that such bounties shall be uniform throughout the Federal Republic, borrowing money on the public credit of the Federal Republic, currency, coinage, bills or credit, and legal tender, postal roads and postal services, the organization of the Judiciary of the Federal Republic under the Supreme Court, the control of the naval and military defense of the Federal Republic and of the several Cantons to execute and maintain the laws of the Federal Republic, declaration of war and letters of marquee, census and statistics, uniform weights and measures, uniform laws on bankruptcies, naturalization, copyrights, patents of inventions and designs, and trademarks, and all places acquired by the Federal Republic for public purposes.

Section 7

A) No appropriation of money shall be drawn from the Treasury of the Federal Republic except under appropriation made by law, nor any appropriation of money shall be for a longer term of two years, and a regular Cantonment and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money of the Federal Republic shall be published annually in the Hansard.

B) The Congress shall make no law laying or collecting taxes upon population, incomes, gifts, or estates without the two-thirds approval of both Chamber of Congress.

C) The Congress shall not be able to pass bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, laws impairing the obligation of contracts or titles of nobility.

D) The Congress shall not, by any law or regulation of trade, commerce, or revenue, give preference to one Canton or any part thereof over another Canton or any part thereof.

[Zeppy]

Article II

Section 1

A) The executive power of the Federal Republic is vested in a President of the Federal Republic of Zeppy and extends to the execution and maintenance of this Federal Constitution, and of the laws of the Federal Republic.

B) The President shall be directly elected by the people of the several Cantons every four years for a maximum of two consecutive terms by the electoral method of Run-off voting.

C) There shall be a Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Zeppy who shall advise the President in legislative manners; the President, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, shall nominate the Vice-President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Chambers, and shall hold the same term of office as of the nominating President. The Vice-President may, if the Senate be equally divided, cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

D) The qualifications of the President and the Vice-President shall be as follows: they must be of the full age of thirty-five years, must be an elector entitled to vote in an election of the Federal Republic, or a person qualified to become such elector, must be a resident within the limits of the Federal Republic of at least six-years, and must be a citizen of the Federal Republic of at least ten years.

E) There shall be a Cabinet of the Federal Republic of Zeppy to advise the President in executive manners; it shall be composed of the Members of the Cabinet, as the Congress prescribes, that shall administer the Departments of the Federal Republic, and be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, after which they shall be sworn as Members of the Cabinet, and shall hold office at the President's pleasure.

F) The President, the Vice-President, and the Members of the Cabinet shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the Federal Republic. The salary of the President, the Vice-President, and the Members of the Cabinet shall not be altered during their continuance in office.

G) The President, the Vice-President, and the Members of the Cabinet shall not, during their tenure, directly or indirectly, practice any other profession, participate in any business, or be financially interested in any contract with, or in any franchise, or special privilege granted by the Federal Republic, the Cantons or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned corporations or their subsidiaries. They shall strictly avoid conflict of interest in the conduct of their office.

Section 2

A) The command-in-chief of the naval and military defense of the Federal Republic is vested in the President. The President may call out the naval and military defense of the Federal Republic to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion.

B) The President shall have the power to make treaties, nominate and appoint the Members of the Cabinet, Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, or officers of the naval and military defense of the Federal Republic from the rank of Colonel or naval Captain, and other officers whose appointments are vested in the President in this Federal Constitution with the advice and consent of the Senate. The President shall also appoint all other federal officers of the Federal Republic whose appointments are not otherwise provided for by law, and those whom he may be authorized by law to appoint. The Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of other officers lower in rank in the President alone, or in the heads of the Departments, Agencies, Commissions, Bureaus or Boards of the Federal Republic.

C) The President shall have the power to make appointments during the recess of the Congress, whether voluntary or compulsory, but such appointments shall be effective only until the next adjournment of the Congress.

D) The President shall have the power to pardon and grant reprieves for offenses against the Federal Republic, except in cases of impeachment.

E) The President may, on extraordinary occasions or in case of disagreement between them, convene either or both Chambers, as the President shall think proper.

Section 3

A) The President shall address to the Congress at the opening of its regular session information on the Canton of the Federation, or whenever possible annually, and recommend to its consideration such measures as the President shall judge necessary and expedient.

B) The Vice-President shall, as the rules of the Congress shall provide, appear before and be heard by the Congress quarterly in the regular session of the Congress. The Vice-President shall answer Questions on behalf of the President, which shall be submitted and ascertained by the Chancellor of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives at least seven days before their scheduled appearance. Interpellations shall not be limited to written questions, but may cover matters related thereto. When the security of the Federal Republic or the public interest so requires and the President so Cantons in writing, the appearance shall be conducted in executive session.

C) The Members of the Cabinet may, upon their own initiative, with the consent of the President, or upon the request of either Chamber, as the rules of each Chamber shall provide, appear before and be heard by such Chamber on any matter pertaining to their Departments of the Federal Republic.

Section 4

A) In case of the removal of the President from office or of the death or resignation of the President, the Vice-President shall become President to serve the unexpired term.

B) Whenever the President transmits to the Chancellor and the Speaker a written declaration that they are unable to discharge the powers and duties of the Presidency, and until the President transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice-President and the Cabinet as Acting President.

C) Whenever the Vice-President and a majority of the Cabinet transmit to the Chancellor and the Speaker their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the Presidency, the Vice-President and the Cabinet shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the Presidency as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the Chancellor and the Speaker a written declaration that no inability exists, the President shall resume the powers and duties of the Presidency unless the Vice-President and a majority of the Cabinet transmit within four days to the Chancellor and the Speaker their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the Presidency. Thereupon the Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if the Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after the Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Chambers that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the Presidency, the Vice-President and the Cabinet shall continue to discharge the Presidency as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of the Presidency.

D) The President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet and all officials of the Federal Republic, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and the conviction of, treason, bribery, or other major crimes and high misdemeanors.

[Zeppy]

Article III

Section 1

The judicial power of the Federal Republic shall be vested in a Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Zeppy and in such other federal courts as the Congress creates, and in such other courts as it invests with federal jurisdiction.

Section 2

A) The Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Zeppy, and of twelve Associate Justices of the Federal Republic of Zeppy.

B) The Justices of the Supreme Court and of the other Courts of the Federal Republic created by the Congress shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate for a term expiring upon attaining the age of seventy-five years, and a person shall not be appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court if they have attained that age, and shall receive such remuneration as the Congress may fix, but the remuneration shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

Section 3

A) The Supreme Court shall have the power to interpret what the Federal Constitution permits, to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the Federal Republic, and to review, and possibly nullify, laws and governmental acts passed in the Federal Republic that violate the Federal Constitution and higher norms.

B) The Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine appeals from all judgments, decrees, orders, and sentences, and the judgment of the Supreme Court in all such cases shall be final and conclusive, of any Justice or Justices exercising the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, and of any other federal court, or court exercising federal jurisdiction.

C) The Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction in all matters arising under any treaty, arising under this Federal Constitution, or involving its interpretation, arising under any laws made by the Congress, affecting consuls or other representatives of other countries, in which the Federal Republic, or a person suing or being sued on behalf of the Federal Republic, is a party, between Cantons, or between residents of different Cantons, or between a Canton and a resident of another Canton, and in which a writ of Mandamus or prohibition or an injunction is sought against an officer of the Federal Republic.

D) With respect to any of the matters aforementioned the Congress may make laws defining the jurisdiction of any federal court other than the Supreme Court, defining the extent to which the jurisdiction of any federal court shall be exclusive of that which belongs to or is invested in the courts of the Cantons, and investing any court of a Canton with federal jurisdiction.

Section 4

The trial on indictment of any offense against any law of the Federal Republic shall be by jury, and every such trial shall be held in the Canton where the offense was committed, and if the offense was not committed within any Canton the trial shall be held at such place or places as the Congress prescribes.

[Zeppy]

Article IV

Section 1

A) A resident in any Canton, shall not be subject in any other Canton to any disability or discrimination which would not be equally applicable to them if they were a resident in such other Canton.

B) Full faith and credit shall be given, throughout the Federal Republic to the laws, the public acts and records, and the judicial proceedings of every Canton.

C) A person in the Federal Republic who is charged in any Canton with felonies or other major crimes, who shall flee from justice and be found in another Canton, shall upon the application of the Government of the Canton from which the person fled be extradited to the Canton having jurisdiction of the crime.

Section 2

A) A Canton shall not, without the consent of the Congress, raise or maintain any naval or military force, or enter into any treaty, agreement or compact with another Canton, or with a foreign nation, or impose any tax on property of any kind belonging to the Federal Republic, nor shall the Federal Republic impose any tax on property of any kind belonging to a Canton.

B) After uniform duties of customs have been imposed, a Canton may levy on imports or exports, or on goods passing into or out of the Canton, such charges as may be necessary for executing the inspection laws of the Canton, but the net produce of all charges so levied shall be for the use of the Federal Republic, and any such inspection laws may be annulled by the Congress.

C) A Canton shall not coin money, nor make anything but gold and silver coin a legal tender in payment of debts.

D) On the imposition of uniform duties of customs, trade, commerce, and intercourse among the Cantons, whether by means of internal carriage or ocean navigation, shall be absolutely free.

E) A Canton shall not be able to pass bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, or laws impairing the obligation of contracts.

Section 3

A) A Canton may seceded from the Federal Republic if a resolution for secession from the Federal Republic is approved by three-fourths vote by the Parliament of the Canton and then no less than two nor more than six months after the passage of the resolution, the resolution shall be submitted to the electors of the Canton, and if a majority of all the electors voting also approve the resolution, the Canton will hereby be considered a sovereign nation.

B) The Congress may admit to the Federal Republic or establish new Cantons, and shall be admitted into the Federal Republic on an equal footing with the other Cantons in all respects whatever.

C) A new Canton may be formed by separation of territory from a Canton, but only with the consent of the Parliament thereof, and a new Canton may be formed by the union of two or more Cantons or parts of Cantons, but only with the consent of the Parliaments of the Cantons affected.

D) The Congress may make laws for the government of any territory surrendered by any Canton to and accepted by the Federal Republic, or of any territory under the authority of and accepted by the Federal Republic, or otherwise acquired by the Federal Republic, and may allow the representation of such territory in either Chambers of the Congress to the extent and on the terms which it thinks fit.

[Zeppy]

Article V

Section 1

The Federal Republic will take over from the Cantons their public debts as existing at the establishment of the Federal Republic, or a proportion thereof according to the respective numbers of their people as shown by the latest statistics of the Federal Republic, and may convert, renew, or consolidate such debts, or any part thereof, and the Cantons shall indemnify the Federal Republic in respect of the debts taken over, and thereafter the interest payable in respect of the debts shall be deducted and retained from the portions of the surplus revenue of the Federal Republic payable to the several Cantons, or if such surplus is insufficient, or if there is no surplus, then the deficiency or the whole amount shall be paid by the several Cantons.

Section 2

The seat of the Federal Republic shall be the Municipality of the City of Gibraltar, in the Canton of the Commonwealth of Latium, and the territory of the designated Federal Borough of the Municipality of the City of Gibraltar shall be vested in and belong to the Federal Republic.

Section 3

A) All laws made by the Congress under the Federal Constitution, shall be binding on the courts, officials, and people of every Canton and of every part of the Federal Republic, notwithstanding anything in the laws of any Canton, and the laws of the Federal Republic shall be in force on all the sovereignty territory of the Federal Republic. When a law of a Canton is inconsistent with a law of the Federal Republic, the latter shall prevail, and the former shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be invalid.

B) The Members of the Congress, and the Members of the Parliaments of the several Cantons, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the Federal Republic and of the several Cantons, shall be bound by the following Oath or Affirmation to support this Constitution:

OATH OR AFFIRMATION
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, defend, be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Constitution of Zeppy against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. [So help me God!]

Section 4

The Federal Republic shall protect every Canton against invasion and, on the application of the Parliament of the Canton, against domestic violence.

Section 5

A) The Members of the Congress may be subject to a recall election if the Parliament of the Canton in which they have been elected approves a resolution for a referendum to revoke the Members of the Congress's mandate. After which a recall referendum shall be submitted, no less than two nor more than six months after the passage of the resolution, to the people qualified to vote in the Cantons of the Members of the Congress, where if a majority approves the recall referendum, the Members of the Congress's mandate shall be deemed revoked and immediate action shall be taken to fill the permanent vacancy as provided for by this Federal Constitution.

B) The President may be subject to a recall election if two-thirds of the Parliaments of the several Cantons approve resolutions for a referendum to revoke the President's mandate. After which a recall referendum shall be submitted, no less than two nor more than six months after the passage of the resolutions, to the people of the several Cantons qualified to vote, where if a majority approves the recall referendum, the President's mandate shall be deemed revoked and immediate action shall be taken to fill the permanent vacancy as provided for by this Federal Constitution.

C) Upon the identically worded resolutions of three-fourths of the Parliaments of the several Cantons, any law or regulation of the Federal Republic, identified with specificity, shall be deemed rescinded.

[Zeppy]

Article VI

This Constitution shall not be altered except in the following manners: the Congress, by two-thirds vote in both Chambers, may propose an Amendment to this Federal Constitution, thereafter it shall be submitted to each of the Parliaments of the several Cantons, where it must be ratified by three-fourths of the Parliaments; or two-thirds of the Parliaments of the several Cantons may propose an Amendment to this Federal Constitution, thereafter it shall be submitted to a joint sitting of the Congress, where it must be ratified by a three-fourths majority of the total number of the Members of the Congress.

Thereafter, no less than two nor more than six months, the Amendment to this Federal Constitution shall be submitted to the people of the several Cantons qualified to vote, where if a majority of all the electors voting approve the Amendment to this Federal Constitution, it shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Federal Constitution.

No alteration diminishing the proportionate representation of any Canton in either Chamber of the Congress, or increasing, diminishing, or otherwise altering the limits of the Canton, or in any manner affecting the provisions of the Federal Constitution in relation thereto, shall become law without the approval of the Parliament of the Canton.

[Zeppy]

The Ratification of the Federal Constitution and Signatures

At present, the Convention of the Archipelago of Zeppy, comprising of the Heads of Government of the People of the Linguistic Communities of the Archipelago of Zeppy, affirm that the preceding Federal Constitution be laid before the several Governments of the Sovereign Nations of the Archipelago of Zeppy in order to be ratified, so it may establish the Federal Republic.

As soon as the Federal Constitution is ratified, the Convention of the Archipelago of Zeppy shall approve the apportionment, time and place of elections for the Congress and the President under the Federal Constitution of Zeppy.

Signed by the Convention of the Archipelago of Zeppy,


Montserrat Xavier Pasqual, President of the Republic of Catalonia


Jaume Zutoia Ibarra, Chancellor of the Democratic Republic of Vasconia




Tomas Concepció Zamora, Prime Minister of the Most Serene Republic of Valencia




Iglesias Ricou Galindo, Duke of Zaragoza, Chief Minister of the Crown of Aragon




Andrés Álvarez Manzano, Prince of Castile, Lord High Steward of the Grand Duchy of Murcia



José Miguel Velázquez, Chief Magistrate of the Andalusian Republic




Theodora Publius Aemilianus, Consul of the Commonwealth of Latium

[Zeppy]

Amendments to the Federal Constitution

First Amendment

Article 1

English is the official language of the Federal Republic.

Article 2

The Federal Republic may not abrogate or derogate from any legal or customary right of an individual to be a member of a linguistic community, the right to the use of one's own language both in private and in public, the right to interrelate and associate with other members of their language community of origin, and the right to maintain and develop their own culture with respect to any language.

Second Amendment

Article 1

The Federal Republic shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Federal Republic.

Article 2

The people of the Federal Republic shall have the freedom of free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression, the freedom of the press, the freedom of association, the freedom of privacy, the right to peacefully assemble and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.

Third Amendment

The citizens of the Federal Republic shall have the right to acquire and possess firearms and weapons, which shall not be infringed, except for compelling practical purposes.

Fourth Amendment

In all criminal prosecutions in the Federal Republic, a person has the right to demand the cause and nature of their accusation, to be confronted with the accusers and witnesses, to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be informed of that right, to call for evidence in their favor, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury, without whose unanimous consent cannot be found guilty, nor can they be compelled to give evidence against themselves or be subject to double jeopardy. No person in the Federal Republic shall be deprived of their liberty except by the law of the land or the judgment of their peers, nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.

Fifth Amendment

The Federal Republic and the several Cantons shall not impose excessive bail or excessive fines, nor may cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment be inflicted.

Sixth Amendment

The right of the people of the Federal Republic to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the Judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses produced, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

Seventh Amendment

Article 1

All citizens of the Federal Republic who are twenty-one years of age or older shall have the right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides. The right to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the Federal Republic, any Canton, or any other public or private person or entity, except that the Federal Republic or any Canton may establish regulations narrowly tailored to produce efficient and honest elections.

Article 2

Each Canton shall provide any eligible voter the opportunity to register and vote on the day of any public election.

Article 3

The Congress shall have power to enforce and implement this Article by appropriate legislation.

Eighth Amendment

Article 1

All persons born or naturalized in the Federal Republic, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the Federal Republic and of the Canton wherein they reside.

Article 2

Every individual and linguistic community in the Federal Republic are equal before and under the law and have the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination, except for compelling practical purposes.

Article 3

No Canton nor the Federal Republic shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the Federal Republic, nor shall any Canton and the Federal Republic 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.

Ninth Amendment

Article 1

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

Article 2

The Congress shall have power to enforce this Article by appropriate legislation.

Tenth Amendment

Article 1

The enumeration of specific rights in this Federal Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage others rights, as these rights retained by the people of the Federal Republic.

Article 2

The powers not delegated to the Federal Republic by this Federal Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the Cantons, are reserved to the Cantons and to the people of the Federal Republic respectively to exercise, nor shall these powers be infringed on by the Federal Republic.

Eleventh Amendment

Article 1

All persons in the Federal Republic are equally free and independent, and have certain natural, inherent and unalienable rights which they retain when forming any government, amongst which are the enjoying, defending and preserving of their life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting real and personal property, making binding contracts of their choosing, and pursuing their happiness and safety.

Article 2

The due process of law shall be construed to provide the opportunity to introduce evidence or otherwise show that a law, regulation or order is an infringement of such rights of any citizen or legal resident of the Federal Republic, and the party defending the challenged law, regulation, or order shall have the burden of establishing the basis in law and fact of its conformity with this Federal Constitution.

Twelfth Amendment

The Congress shall not impose upon a Canton, or political subdivision thereof, any obligation or duty to make expenditures unless such expenditures shall be fully reimbursed by the Federal Republic, nor shall the Congress place any condition on the expenditure or receipt of appropriated funds requiring a Canton, or political subdivision thereof, to enact a law or regulation restricting the liberties of its citizens.

Thirteenth Amendment

Article 1

No treaty of executive agreement shall be made respecting the rights of citizens of the Federal Republic protected by this Federal Constitution or abridging or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Article 2

No treaty or executive agreement shall vest in any international organization or in any foreign nation any of the legislative, executive, or judicial powers vested by this Federal Constitution in the Congress, the President, and in the Judiciary of the Federal Republic, respectively.

Article 3

No treaty or executive agreement shall alter or abridge the laws of the Federal Republic unless, and then only to the extend that, the Congress shall so provide by joint resolution.

Article 4

All executive agreements shall not be made in lieu of treaties, shall, if not sooner terminated, expire automatically one year after the end of the term of office for which the President making the agreement shall have been elected, but the Congress may, at the request of any President, extend for the duration of the term of such President the life of any such agreement made or extended during the next preceding Presidential term, and shall be publish by the President except that those which in the President's judgment require secrecy shall be submitted to appropriate committees of the Congress in lieu of publication.

Article 5

The Congress shall have power to enforce this Article by appropriate legislation.

Fourteenth Amendment

The power of the Congress to make all laws which are necessary and proper to regulate commerce among the several Cantons, or with foreign nations, shall not be construed to include the power to regulate or prohibit any activity that is confined within a single Canton regardless of its effects outside the Canton, whether it employs instrumentalities therefrom, or whether its regulation or prohibition is part of a comprehensive regulatory scheme, but the Congress shall have power to regulate harmful emissions between one Canton and another, and to define and provide for punishment of offenses constituting acts of war or violent insurrection against the Federal Republic.

Fifteenth Amendment

Article 1

The validity of the public debt of the Federal Republic, authorized by law, shall not be questioned. The budget of the Federal Republic shall be deemed unbalanced whenever the total amount of the public debt of the Federal Republic at the close of any fiscal year is greater than the total amount of such debt at the close of the preceding fiscal year.

Article 2

Whenever the budget of the Federal Republic is unbalanced, the President may, during the next annual session of the Congress, separately approve, reduce or disapprove any monetary amounts in any legislation that appropriates or authorizes the appropriation of any money drawn from the Treasury, other than money for the operation of the Congress and the Judiciary of the Federal Republic.

Article 3

Any legislation that the President approves with changes pursuant to the first section of this Article shall become law as modified. The President shall return with objections those portions of the legislation containing reduced or disapproved monetary amounts to the Chamber of the Congress where it originated, which may then reconsider each reduced or disapproved monetary amount by a two-thirds majority.

Article 4

The Congress shall have power to implement this Amendment by appropriate legislation, and this Amendment shall take effect on the first day of the next annual session of Congress following its ratification.

Sixteenth Amendment

The people of the Federal Republic shall have the right to strike, the right to work, the right to free choice of employment, the right to just and favourable conditions of work, the right to equal pay for equal work, and the right to form and join labour unions or associations for the protection of their interests, but as to not to be compelled to belong to such labour unions or associations.

Seventeenth Amendment

Article 1

The citizens of the Federal Republic shall have the right to education. Education shall be free or at low cost, in the elementary and fundamental stages. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

Article 2

Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all the linguistic communities of the Federal Republic.

Article 3

The Congress shall be required to recommend universal performance standards, at least once every four years, to determine if higher standards should be established to reflect improvements in methods and practices, which shall be submitted to the Parliaments of the several Cantons.

[Wellerbania]

Pardon my intrusion, but, Very elaborate and realistic.