THE

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Adopted November 3, 1846.

AS AMENDED AND IN FORCE JANUARY 1, 1875.

ARTICLE I.

SECTION 1. No person to be disfranchised.

Sec. 2. Trial by Jury.

SEC. 3. Religious liberty.

SEC. 4. Writ of habeas corpus.

SEC. 5. Bail, fines.

SEC. 6. Grand Jury.

SEC. 7. Private property- Private roads.

SEC. 8. Freedom of speech and of the press.

SEC. 9. Two-third bills.

SEC. 10. Right of petition - Divorces - Lotteries.

SEC. 11. Right of property in lands-Escheats.

SEC. 12. Feudal tenures abolished.

SEC. 13. Allodial tenure.

SEC. 14. Certain leases invalid.

SEC. 15. Fines and quarter sales abolished.

SEC. 16. Sale of lands.

SEC. 17. Old colony laws and acts of the legislature-Common law -Commissioners to be appointed - their duties. SEC. 18. Grants of land since 1775- Prior grants.

ARTICLE II.

SECTION 1. Qualification of voters.

SEC. 2. Persons excluded from right of suffrage - Challenge-Laws to be passed excluding from right of suffrage. SEC. 3. Certain employments not to affect residence of voters.

SEC. 4. Laws to be passed.

SEC. 5. Election to be by ballot.

ARTICLE III.

SECTION 1. Legislative powers.

SEC. 2. Senate, number of - Assembly, number of.

SEC. 3. State divided into thirty-two senatorial districtsboundaries thereof - Board of supervisors of the city of New York to divide the county into four senate districts - Certificate, etc., to be filled.

SEC. 4. Census to be taken in 1855, and every ten yearsSenate districts, how altered.

SEC. 5. Members of Assembly, number of, and how apportioned and chosen - Boards of supervisors in certain counties and board of aldermen in New York city to divide the same into Assembly districts-Description of Assembly districts to be filed- Contents of Assembly districts Legislature to re-apportion members of Assembly-Each county entitled to one member-Hamilton county - Counties and towns may be divided and new ones erected.

SEC. 6. Pay of members.

SEC. 7. No member to receive an appointment.

SEC. 8. Persons disqualified from being members.

SEC. 9. Time of election fixed.

SEC. 10. Powers of each house..

SEC. 11. Journals to be kept.

SEC. 12. No member to be questioned, etc.

SEC. 13. Bills may originate in either house.

SEC. 14. Enacting clause of bills.

SEC. 15. Assent of a majority of all the members required, etc.

SEC. 16. Restriction as to private and local bills.

SEC. 17. Existing law not to be made a part of an act except by inserting it therein.

SEC. 18. Private and local bills, in what cases they may not be passed-General laws to be passed-Street railroads, condition upon which they may be authorized.

SEC. 19. The legislature not to audit or allow any private claim.

SEC. 20. Bill imposing a tax, manner of passing.

SEC. 21. Same subject.

SEC. 22. Board of supervisors.

SEC. 23. Local legislative powers conferred on boards of supervisors.

SEC. 24. No extra compensation to be granted to a publico officer, servant, agent or contractor.

SEC. 25. Sections seventeen and eighteen not to apply to certain bills.

ARTICLE IV.

SECTION 1. Executive power, how vested.

SEC. 2. Requisite qualifications of Governor.

SEC. 3. Time and manner of electing Governor and Lieutenant-Governor.

SEC. 4. Duties and power of Governor - His compensation. SEC. 5. Pardoning power vested in the Governor.

SEC. 6. Powers of Governor to devolve on Lieutenant-Gov

ernor.

SEC. 7. Requisite qualifications of Lieutenant-GovernorTo be President of the Senate, and to act as Governor in certain cases.

SEC. 8. Compensation of Lieutenant-Governor.

|

SEC. 9. Bills to be presented to the Governor for signatureIf returned by him with objections, how disposed of - Bills to be returned within ten days-After adjournment, bills must be approved in thirty days, else cannot become lawGovernor may object to items of appropriation in any bill.

ARTICLE V.

SECTION 1. State officers, how elected and terms of office. SEC. 2. State Engineer and Surveyor, how chosen and term of office.

SEC. 3. Superintendent of Public Works, how appointed Powers and duties of.

SEC. 4. Superintendent of Prisons, how appointed - Powers and duties of.

SEC. 5. Commissioners of the Land Office - Commissioners of the Canal Fund Canal Board.

SEC. 6. Powers and duties of Boards, etc.

SEC. 7. Treasurer may be suspended by Governor.

SEC. 8. Certain offices abolished.

ARTICLE VI.

SECTION 1. Impeachment-Assembly has power of-Effect of judgment.

SEC. 2. Court of appeals-Judges, how chosen - Appointment of olerk.

SEC. 3. Vacancies in office of judge of Court of Appeals, how filled.

SEC. 4. Causes pending in Court of Appeals to be referred to Commissioners of Appeals.

SEC. 5. Commissioners of Appeals - Vacancies how filledChief Commissioner to be appointed.

SEC. 6. Supreme Court Jurisdiction-Justices - Judicial Districts, number of justices in; may be altered without increasing number.

SEC. 7. Terms of Supreme Court.

SEC. 8. Judge or Justice may not sit in review of decisions made by him, etc.

SEC. 9. Vacancy in office of Justice of Supreme Court, how filled.

SEC. 10. Judges of Court of Appeals, or Justices of Supreme Court, to hold no other office.

SEC. 11. Removals - Proceedings in relation to.

SEC. 12. City Courts.

SEC. 13. Justice of Supreme Court or Judges of City Courts, how chosen-Term of office-Restriction as to age.

SEC. 14. Compensation of Judges or Justices-Not to be diminished during term of office.

SEC. 15. County Courts.

SEC. 16. Local judicial officers.

SEC. 17. Judge of Court of Appeals, or Justice of Supreme Court, election or appointment of — Question to be submitted to people.

SEC. 18. Justices of the Peace.

SEC. 19. Inferior local courts.

SEC. 20. Clerks of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. SEC. 21. No judicial officer, except Justice of the Peace, to receive fees.

SEC. 22. Judgments, etc., may be ordered directly to Court of Appeals for review.

SEC. 23. Publication of Statutes to be provided for-To be free to all.

SEC. 24. Judges, first election of - When to enter upon duties.

SEC. 25. Local judicial officers Term of office of present

Incumbents.

SEC. 26. Courts of Special Sessions.

SEC. 27. Surrogates' Courts.

SEC. 28. Court of Appeals may order causes to be heard by Commission of Appeals.

ARTICLE VII.

SECTION 1. Canal debt- Sinking Fund-June 1, 1846, $1,300,000-June 1, 1855, $1,700,000.

SEC. 2. General Fund Debt - Sinking Fund, $350,000; after certain period, $1,500,000.

SEC. 3. $200,000 of the surplus canal revenues annually appropriated to General Fund, and the remainder to specific public works-Certain deficiencies in the revenues not exceeding $2,250,000, annually to be supplied from the revenues of the canals Contractors, no extra compensation to be

made to.

SEC. 4. Loans to incorporated companies not to be released or compromised.

SEC. 5. Legislature shall, by equitable taxes, increase the revenues of the Sinking Fund in certain cases.

SEC. 6. Certain Canals of the State not to be leased or soldExpenditures, for collections and repairs, limited - Funds from leases or sale, how applied.

SEC. 7. Salt springs.

SEC. 8. Appropriation bills.

SEC. 9. State credit not to be loaned.

SEC. 10. Power to contract debts limited.

SEC. 11. Debts to repel invasion, etc., may be contracted. SEC. 12. Limitation of the legislative power in the creation of debts.

SEC. 13. Sinking funds to be separately kept and safely invested.

SEC. 14. Claims barred by lapse of time-Limitation of existing claims.

ARTICLE VIII.

SECTION 1. Corporations, how created.

SEC. 2. Debts of corporations.

SEC. 3. " Corporations" defined.

SEC. 4. Charters for savings banks and banking purposes.

SEC. 5. Specie payments.

SEC. 6. Registry of bills or notes.

SEC. 7. Individual responsibility of stockholders.

SEC. 8. Insolvency of banks, preference.

SEC. 9. Legislature to provide for the incorporation of cities and villages, and to define powers thereof in certain cases. SEC. 10. The credit or money of the State not to be given or loaned.