FIFTH CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ATLASIA
Article I.
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the Republic of Atlasia, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the Republic of Atlasia and of the Region in which they reside, and shall in all cases be afforded equal protection under the law.
Section 2. The Senate shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, nor of the press, nor withholding the freedom to peaceably assemble and to petition for the redress of grievances.
Section 3. The Senate shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor obstructing the freedom of worship.
Section 4. The right of citizens of the Republic of Atlasia to vote shall not be denied, except in regards to persons whose account is fewer than 168 hours old or in consequence of failing to meet such requirements for frequent posting or term of residency as may be established by law; but no ballot shall be counted as valid that should list the candidates for office in a script other than the Latin alphabet, or that has been edited more than twenty minutes after its posting in the voting booth. All posts made in the voting booth shall be considered as ballots, and no citizen shall cast multiple ballots in any one election during the period the voting booth is open, upon penalty of the invalidation of their vote.
Section 5. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
Section 6. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crimes of which the accused has been duly convicted, shall exist within the Republic of Atlasia, nor in any place under its jurisdiction, nor may any draft or other form of compulsory service be instituted, unless approved by a public referendum in which at least three-fifths of the votes in each of the three regions are in the affirmative. The President shall have the sole authority to authorize the draft referendum.
Section 7. A well-regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free people, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
Section 8. No citizen shall be subjected to warrantless search or seizure of the persons, homes, records, or possessions, and no warrants shall be issued without probable cause, supported by oath of affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Section 9. No person accused of crimes under the laws of this Republic, or of the several Regions, shall be compelled to bear witness against themself, nor subjected to excessive bail, nor cruel or unusual punishment. Capital punishment may not be prescribed by a civilian court of law.
Section 10. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of their peers in the Region wherein the crime shall have been committed, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against them, to have a compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in their favor, and to have the assistance of counsel in their defense.
Section 11. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the armed forces.
Section 12. 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 of the Republic of Atlasia.
Section 13. The right of citizens of the Republic of Atlasia to health care, including but not limited to care necessary to prevent and treat illness, shall not be denied.
Section 14. The enumeration of certain rights in this Constitution shall not be construed as to deny or disparage those natural rights and liberties herein unlisted.
Article II.
Section 1. The Regions.
1. The several states of this Republic shall be apportioned among three contiguous, autonomous Regions. Each region shall be further subdivided into two subregions.
2. The northern Region shall consist of the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Atlasian Virgin Islands.
i. The Northeastern Subregion shall consist of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Atlasian Virgin Islands.
ii. The Great Lakes Subregion shall consist of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
3. The southern Region shall consist of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
i. The Upper Southern Subregion shall consist of the states of Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
ii. The Deep Southern Subregion shall consist of the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Texas
4. The western Region shall consist of the states of Alaska, Arizona, Atlasian Samoa, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
i. The Mountain West Subregion shall consist of the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
ii. The Pacific Subregion shall consist of the states of Alaska, Atlasian Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington.
5. Each Region shall have the sole authority to designate its title, and the titles of the officers of its government, such as they will be recognized by the Republic of Atlasia in all official acts and processes.
Section 2. No region shall secede from this Republic but by a 3/4 vote of the citizens thereof, nor shall any Region, state, or other entity declare itself outside the jurisdiction of this Constitution so long as it remains party to this Union.
Section 3. Rights and Limitations.
1. The powers not delegated to the Republic of Atlasia by this Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the Regions, are reserved to the Regions respectively, or to the people.
2. No Region shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation without the express consent of the Senate.
3. No Region shall pass any Bill of Attainder or ex post facto law, nor pass any act impairing the obligation of contracts.
4. No Region shall lay any duty on exports and imports except by necessity for the proper enforcement of its laws, and then only with the express consent of the Senate; and in such case the net produce of such shall be conferred to the Federal Treasury.
5. No Region shall lay any duty of tonnage, nor grant any title of nobility, nor maintain armed forces in times of peace, nor issue, coin, or recognize as legal tender any currency but that of the Republic of Atlasia.
Section 4. Regional Elections.
1. No regional-administered election shall admit as eligible voters any person having resided in any other region within the fifty-six days prior to the commencement of the election.
2. In addition, no subregional senate election shall admit as eligible voters any person having resided in any other region within the fifty-six days prior to the commencement of the election.
3. Aside from the exceptions as laid out by this section, no region-wide or subregional election may deny any person the right to vote who would, if a federal election were held concurrently, be eligible to vote in such an election.
Article III.
Section 1. The Senate.
1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia.
2. The Vice President shall be the President of the Senate, but shall only have a vote in the chamber when the Senate be equally divided.
3. The Senate shall consist of eighteen Senators; nine elected at large and one elected for each region and each subregion.
4. No person shall be a Senator who has not attained two hundred or more posts, nor whose account is fewer than fourteen hundred and forty hours old, nor shall any person be a regional or subregional senator who is not a citizen of the region or subregion they are chosen to represent.
5. The Senate shall elect a President pro tempore to preside over the body in the absence of the President of the Senate as well as any other officers as it so chooses, and shall have sole authority to determine its own methods of proceedings.
6. The Senate may adopt rules concerning the discipline and expulsion of its members; but no Senator shall be expelled but with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Senate.
7. The Senate shall have the sole power to adopt and try articles of impeachment. No articles of impeachment shall be adopted without the concurrence of three-fifths of the voting Senators. The Chief Justice shall preside over all trials of impeachment save when the impeachment is against a sitting member of the Supreme Court. No person shall be convicted on any article of impeachment without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Senate. In all cases, the penalty for conviction shall be removal from office and disqualification from any office under the Republic of Atlasia for a period not exceeding two years.
8. All legislation passed by the Senate, save constitutional amendments and resolutions, shall, before it becomes law, be submitted to the judgement of the President. A passed bill shall become law upon the signature of the President or seven days of Presidential inaction.
9. Should the President disapprove of a bill, it shall be sent back to the Senate. If, after considering the President’s objections, the Senate passes the bill again by a two-thirds vote, it shall become law regardless.
Section 2. Elections to the Senate.
1. The manner of election for at-large Senators shall be as follows:
i. The nine at-large Senators shall be elected for a term of two months by the eligible voters of the Republic according to a method of proportional representation prescribed by the Senate. Elections for the seats shall be held in the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December.
ii. If no other method of proportional representation is prescribed by law, at-large Senate elections shall operate on single transferable vote.
iii. At-large Senate vacancies shall be filled through appointment by the executive of the former Senator’s Party; but should a vacancy occur as the result of the death, expulsion, or resignation of an at-large Senator not being a member of a major Party, then a special election shall be held within twenty days of the vacancy to choose a replacement to serve the remainder of the existing term.
2. The manner of election for regional Senators shall be as follows:
i. Each region shall elect a Senator for a term of four months by popular election of the region’s residents administered by the regional government in a manner prescribed by the legislature thereof. Regional Senate elections shall be held in the months of February, June, and October.
ii. Regional Senate vacancies occurring more than thirty days prior to the end of the term shall be filled by special election of the region’s residents administered by the regional government within twenty days of the vacancy.
iii. Regional Senate vacancies occurring within thirty days of the end of the term, as well as the interim between a vacancy and a prescribed special election, may be filled in accordance with the laws of the region in question; should no such law exist then the region’s executive shall have the power to make such an appointment.
3. The manner of election for subregional Senators shall be as follows:
i. Each subregion shall elect a Senator for a term of four months by popular election of the subregion’s residents administered by its constituent regional government in a manner prescribed by the legislature thereof. Subegional Senate elections shall be held in the months of April, August, and December.
ii. Subregional Senate vacancies occurring more than thirty days prior to the end of the term shall be filled by a special election of the subregion’s residents administered by its constituent regional government within twenty days of the vacancy.
iii. Subregional Senate vacancies occurring within thirty days of the end of the term shall be filled by the subregional Senator elected for the following term immediately upon conclusion of their election.
Section 3. The Senate shall have the power, except where limited elsewhere by this Constitution,
to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, and to distribute the revenue thus collected;
to regulate foreign trade and inter-regional commerce;
to establish uniform laws of naturalization;
to regulate the value and coinage of the national currency;
to establish a uniform system of weights and measures;
to establish post offices and post roads;
to define and punish crimes committed on the high seas;
to declare war, issue letters of marque and reprisal, and make laws governing the capture of land and water;
to raise, support, and regulate the national armed forces;
to admit new states and territories to the Union;
to make laws governing borrowing, lending, and the selling of stocks and bonds;
to confirm or reject nominations for the Supreme Court and the officers of executive departments;
to establish a central national bank;
to make laws necessary for the enforcement of the Constitution and federal law;
to regulate voter registration and federal elections;
to regulate independent expenditures for political communication;
to impeach the President, Vice President, Justices and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, and other officers of this government for high crimes and gross negligence.;
to establish, consolidate, alter, or terminate independent agencies led by non-playable officials, leaving it to the discretion of the President to control department structure and the existence of any playable principal officers, if any at all, which the President may appoint to roles in the agency, with the advice and consent of the Senate;
to make uniform rules for bankruptcies;
to temporarily grant inventors, authors, and artists exclusive patents or copyrights for their creations; and
to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court of Atlasia.
Section 4. War Powers.
1. War shall be declared by the Senate via a Declaration of War in case of armed conflict against a sovereign nation recognized by the Republic of Atlasia, or via an Authorization of Force in the case of sustained armed conflict against groups which have not been extended diplomatic recognition.
2. The Senate shall be able to amend a Declaration of War or Authorization of Force and it shall have the right to set time limits which the Senate may choose to extend via a later Resolution.
3. After the expiration of a Declaration of War or Authorization of Force, the Armed Forces will have a limit of 90 days to cease operations and/or withdraw from the territory delimited by the Senate. However, the President may submit an alternative schedule for withdrawal with due evidence and justification, which the Senate may in turn overrule with a 2/3 vote.
Section 5. Restrictions.
1. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, except when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.
2. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
3. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any Region.
4. No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in accordance with the apportionments made by law.
5. No title of nobility shall be granted by the Republic of Atlasia, and accordingly no person holding office under this Constitution shall accept any title, rank, or office from any foreign state except in accordance with federal law.
