Constitution of New Union

Purpose

The government of the Federal Republic of New Union will represent the people of our nation including all individuals who reside within its territories. The national government will be the final arbiter in all inter-regional and international relations.  The regional governments will be the final arbiter in all regional matters, not respecting those rights retained by the national government. The national government will provide for the common defense, support for the welfare of all citizens, promote domestic peace and security, establish justice, and defend individual freedom. 

Structure of the National Government

There will be three branches of the national government, executive, legislative and judicial. The first two branches will be democratically elected. The members of the third branch will be selected by executive appointment and Senatorial confirmation, except where indicated.

Executive 

All executive powers of the New Union will be invested in the office of the President. The executive will be elected for a term of four years and will be limited to two terms of office

Eligibility for this office is restricted to citizens of at least 45 years of age and with a minimum of 15 years of public service experience.The executive will be selected in a national election based on at least a plurality of the popular vote of all eligible, voting citizens. This plurality is set at a minimum level of 40 percent. In any election in which the 40 percent threshold is not reached, the presidential office will be decided by means of a runoff election. There will be no other electoral requirements. 

The executive will be supported by a council of advisors. These individuals will be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. However, under certain circumstances, the president may appoint cabinet-level officials without Senate approval for a term of two years. This will happen if the Senate fails to confirm at least half the judicial, administrative and cabinet-level vacancies in any 90 day period. 

Legislature

All legislative powers will be invested in Congress.  The Congress will consist of two chambers: the lower chamber or House of Representatives and the upper chamber or the Senate.

House of Representatives

The members of the House of Representatives will serve for three-year terms for a maximum of 5 terms.  Representatives must be at least 30 years old and have at least 5 years of demonstrated public service experience. They must be citizens of the New Union for a minimum of ten consecutive years.  They must be at least half-time residents of the district they seek to represent for at least two consecutive years. There will be no other requirements for this office.

Representatives will be selected based on winning a plurality of the vote in three-member multi-member districts. The top three candidates with the highest vote totals will win each of the available seats. Multi-member districts will be created based on one district per 300,000 population. The population will be reviewed and revised once every decade. A non-partisan organization or a panel of state court judges will determine the apportioning of districts every ten years. The decision for which agency to use is remanded to the discretion of regional governments. 

The House can choose its own institutional representative or Speaker. It will have the unique power of presidential impeachment, and the power to raise or lower taxes with approval from the President and Senate. 

The Senate

The members of the Senate will serve for five-year terms for a maximum of three terms. 

Senators must be at least 40 years old and have at least 10 years of demonstrated public service experience.  Senators must be citizens of New Union for at least 15 consecutive years.  They must be residents of the state they seek to represent for at least 5 consecutive years. Three Senators will represent each region.  Senators will be selected by winning at least 40 percent of the regional vote. The Vice-president of the New Union will be the president pro tempore of the Senate. This official can cast deciding votes in the event of a tie vote. The Senate shall have the unique power to confirm all eligible presidential appointments. The Senate will also have the power to undertake performance reviews of Supreme Court Justices. 

Court

All judicial authority will be invested in a Supreme Court of the New Union.  There will be three levels of the New Union Court system.  The levels will correspond to the local, regional and national levels of the federal system.  

The members of the Court will be nominated by the President and appointed by the Senate to serve single terms of 20 years. Supreme Court Justices must be at least 50 years of age and have at least 20 years of judicial experience. Justices must be citizens of New Union for at least 25 years. After 10 years of service, Justices must submit to a mandatory performance review conducted by the Senate.  During this time the Senate can vote to remove the Justice from office if Justice's professional conduct is deemed to be injurious to the proper governance of the Republic. This review, and the resulting confidence/no-confidence vote, is based on an evaluation of Justice's professional conduct only. Any evaluation based on Justice's voting patterns or ideology is expressly prohibited.  Violations of these rules can lead to censure, removal and permanent barring from the Senate of offending Senators. The Senate will use a predefined list of prerequisites to determine approval.  This list will be required to justify votes and it will be required that Senators submit at least three specific examples of professional misconduct. The eligibility requirements, and terms of service, for state and local government judges are delegated to the state government’s discretion. 

Structure of the Regional Governments

New Union will be a federal republic, divided into a number of regions. The regions will, in turn, have the power to create their own municipalities. Each region will be sovereign in its own political affairs except where indicated in this Constitution. The highest elected official in each state will be its governor. The region shall have the power to decide the terms and eligibility for this office. 

Legislative

The regional governments of the New Union will similarly be delegated the power to decide the terms and eligibility of their own regional legislators.  It's hereby decreed that the regional governments can organize their legislatures however the citizens of those regions chose.

Courts

The regional courts will be organized based on the criteria established by the citizens of each regional government. However, wherever local governments are established within regions, they must have courts established for them as well. 

Rights and Freedoms

Rights are hereby defined as entitlements for individuals to not be compelled to take certain actions as specified by any federal government authority. These rights extend to entitlements for individuals to take any action they choose when not expressly prohibited in this Constitution.  All who are within the boundaries of the nation will have the following rights: 

• The right to vote is paramount and hereby established for all citizens.

• Every citizen has the right to leave and return to New Union at their own discretion. 

• Each citizen has the right to reside in any region or municipality of the New Union. 

• Each citizen of the New Union is legal and socially equal to every other citizen of this republic. 

• Right to privacy, especially as to the right of protection from searches and seizures performed without proper warrants issued by a court of law.

• The inalienable right to marriage is established for any two members of the same sex who consensually enter into such a union.  This right shall not be abrogated in any of the constituent regions of the New Union. 

• The right to divorce is also established for the members of same sex marriages as well. 

• The right to bear arms is established subject to the restriction that such arms be used for the sole protection of an individual's, or his or her family's, safety and security.  As such the types of firearms available for sale to New Union citizens will be restricted to handguns and hunting rifles only. 

• The inalienable right to access to proper and affordable medical care is hereby established. 

• Right to due process under the law. 

• Right to Habeas Corpus. 

Freedoms

Freedoms are defined as the entitlement of citizens not to be compelled to take certain actions as specified by any federal government authority.  All who reside within the boundaries of the nation shall have the following freedoms: 

• Freedom of religion.  The Constitution of the New Union prohibits the establishment of any official state religion.  It also prohibits any governmental financial support for religious organizations. As such the state of New Union prohibits tax exemption status for any religious institutions. 

• A free media of communication extending to all extant, and as yet undeveloped, forms of communication. 

• Free speech rights, except as indicated here.  This right to speak would not extend to hate speech. Hate speech is defined as that which is intended to degrade, dehumanize, or defame the dignity of other groups or individuals.  This would be on the basis of the groups or individuals membership in such socially defined categories as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, class, or disability.  Any category not enumerated herein is also subject to hate speech protection subject to a judicial review. 

• Freedom of assembly.

• Freedom of association. All private citizens can form whatever non-governmental organizations they chose subject to the laws enumerated here. 

• The right to be free from discrimination in private or public employment, in housing or travel accommodations, and ineligibility for any public service, is hereby established.  In addition, discrimination is prohibited in any other context, not indicated here, that is commonly accessible and usable by any New Union citizen or legal resident.