the legislature in joint meeting, to any civil office under the authority of this State which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have Deen increased, during such time. 2. If any member of the senate or general assembly shall be elected to represent this State in the senate or house of representatives of the United States, and shall accept thereof, or shall accept of any office or appointment nder the government of the United States, his seat in the legislature of this State shall thereby be vacated. 3. No justice of the supreme court, nor judge of any other court, sheriff, ustice of the peace nor any person or persons possessed of any office of profit under the government of this State, shall be entitled to a seat either in the enate or in the general assembly; but, on being elected and taking his seat, is office shall be considered vacant; and no person holding any office of profit mder the government of the United States shall be entitled to a seat in either ouse. Section VI. 1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the house of assembly; ut the senate may propose or concur with amendments, as on other bills. 2. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but for appropriations ade by law. 3. The credit of the State shall not be directly or indirectly loaned in By case. 4. The legislature shall not, in any manner, create any debt or debts, ability or liabilities, of the State which shall, singly or in the aggregate with my previous debts or liabilities, at any time exceed one hundred thousand ollars, except for purposes of war, or to repel invasion, or to suppress insuraction, unless the same shall be authorized by a law for some single object t work, to be distinctly specified therein; which law shall provide the ways ad means, exclusive of loans, to pay the interest of such debt or liability as falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal of such debt or liability ithin thirty-five years from the time of the contracting thereof, and shall be repealable until such debt or liability, and the interest thereon,' are fully aid and discharged, and no such law shall take effect until it shall, at a eneral election, have been submitted to the people, and have received the inction of a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at such election; nd all money to be raised by the authority of such law shall be applied only > the specific object stated therein, and to the payment of the debt thereby reated. This section shall not be construed to refer to any money that has een, or may be, deposited with this State by the government of the United tates. Section VII. 1. No divorce shall be granted by the legislature. 2. No lottery shall be authorized by the legislature or otherwise in this tate, and no ticket in any lottery shall be bought or sold within this State. or shall pool-selling, book-making or gambling of any kind be authorized or llowed within this State, nor shall any gambling device, practice or game f chance now prohibited by law be legalized, or the remedy, penalty or punishlent now provided therefor be in any way diminished.7 3. The legislature shall not pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law. law impairing the obligation of contracts, or depriving a party of any remdy for enforcing a contract which existed when the contract was made. 4. To avoid improper influences which may result from intermixing in be and the same act such things as have no proper relation to each other, very law shall embrace but one object, and that shall be expressed in the itle. No law shall be revived or amended by reference to its title only; but he act revived, or the section or sections amended, shall be inserted at length. o general law shall embrace any provision of a private, special or local Amendment adopted in 1897. character. No act shall be passed which shall provide that any existing law, or any part thereof, shall be made or deemed a part of the act, or which shall enact that any existing law, or any part thereof, shall be applicable, except by inserting it in such act.8 5. The laws of this State shall begin in the following style: "Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey." 6. The fund for the support of free schools, and all money, stock and other property which may hereafter be appropriated for that purpose, or received into the treasury under the provision of any law heretofore passed to augment the said fund, shall be securely invested and remain a perpetual fund; and the income thereof, except so much as it may be judged expedient to apply to an increase of the capital, shall be annually appropriated to the support of public free schools, for the equal benefit of all the people of the State: and it shall not be competent for the legislature to borrow, appropriate or use the said fund, or any part thereof, for any other purpose, under any pre tense whatever. The legislature shall provide for the maintenance and sup port of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instru tion of all the children in this State between the ages of five and eightee years.9 7. No private or special law shall be passed authorizing the sale of an lands belonging in whole or in part to a minor or minors, or other person who may at the time be under any legal disability to act for themselves. S. Individuals or private corporations shall not be authorized to take p vate property for public use, without just compensation first made to th owners, 10 9. No private, special or local bill shall be passed unless public noti of the intention to apply therefor. and of the general object thereof, shall hav been previously given. The legislature, at the next session after the adopti hereof, and from time to time thereafter, shall prescribe the time and mode giving such notice, the evidence thereof, and how such evidence shall preserved.11 10. The legislature may vest in the circuit courts, or court of comme pleas within the several counties of this State, chancery powers, so far relates to the foreclosure of mortgages and sale of mortgaged premises. 11. The legislature shall not pass private, local or special laws in of the following enumerated cases; that is to say: Laying out, opening, altering and working roads or highways. Vacating any road, town plot. street, alley or public grounds. Regulating the internal affairs of towns and counties; appointing log offices or commissions to regulate municipal affairs. Selecting, drawing, summoning or empaneling grand or petit jurors. Creating, increasing or decreasing the percentage or allowance of publi officers during the term for which said officers were elected or appointed. Changing the law of descent. Granting to any corporation, association or individual any exclusive priv ilege, immunity or franchise whatever. Granting to any corporation, association or individual the right to la down railroad tracks. Providing for changes of venue in civil or criminal cases, Providing for the management and support of free public schools. The legislature shall pass general laws providing for the cases enumer ated in this paragraph, and for all other cases which, in its judgment, may provided for by general laws. The legislature shall pass no special act co ferring corporate powers, but they shall pass general laws under which corps s All of this paragraph except the first sentence was added in 1875. The word "free" where it occurs between the word "public" and the word "schools" was inserted, and the last sentence was added in 1875. 10 The whole of the original paragraph 8 was stricken out in 1875 and the original paragraph 9 renumbered paragraph 8. 11 Paragraph 9 is a new paragraph and was adopted in 1875. tions may be organized and corporate powers of every nature obtained, subet, nevertheless, to repeal or alteration at the will of the legislature.12 12. Property shall be assessed for taxes under general laws, and by uniorm rules, according to its true value.12 Section VIII. 1. Members of the legislature shall, before they enter on the duties, of eir respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly swear or affirm, as the case may be], that I will support e constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State of New rsey, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of senator [or member the general assembly, as the case may be], according to the best of my ility." And members-elect of the senate or general assembly are hereby emwered to administered to each other the said oath or affirmation. 2. Every officer of the legislature shall, before he enters upon his duties, te and subscribe the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly promise d swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully, impartially and justly perform the duties of the office of -, to the best of my ability and undernding; that I will carefully preserve all records, papers, writings or propy intrusted to me for safe-keeping by virtue of my office, and make such position of the same as may be required by law."13 ARTICLE V. 1. The executive power shall be vested in a governor, 2. The governor shall be elected by the legal voters of this State. The son having the highest number of votes shall be the governor; but if two more shall be equal and highest in votes, one of them shall be chosen govor by the vote of a majority of the members of both houses in joint meetContested elections for the office of governor shall be determined in such aner as the legislature shall direct by Jaw. When a governor is to be ted by the people, such election shall be held at the time when and at the es where the people shall respectively vote for members of the legislature. 3. The governor shall hold his office for three years, to commence on the d Tuesday of January next ensuing the election for governor by the peoand to end on the Monday preceding the third Tuesday of January, three rs thereafter; and he shall be incapable of holding that office for three rs next after his term of service shall have expired; and no appointment nomination to office shall be made by the governor during the last week his said term. 4. The governor shall be not less than thirty years of age, and shall e been for twenty years, at least, a citizen of the United States, and a ident of this State seven years next before his election, unless he shall have n absent during that time on the public business of the United States or this State. 5. The governor shall, at stated times, receive for his services a comisation which shall be neither increased nor diminished during the period which he shall have been elected. 6. He shall be the commander-in-chief of all the military and naval forces the State: he shall have power to convene the legislature, or the senate die, whenever in his opinion public necessity requires it; he shall commuate by message to the legislature at the opening of each session, and at hother times as he may deem necessary, the condition of the State, and ommend such measures as he may deem expedient; he shall take care that laws be faithfully executed, and grant, under the great seal of the State. missions to all such officers as shall be required to be commissioned.14 Paragraphs 11 and 12 are new paragraphs and were adopted in 1875. "Paragraph 2 is a new paragraph and was adopted in 1875. 14 Paragraph 6 was amended in 1875 by adding the words "or the senate alone." 7. Every bill which shall have passed both houses shall be presented to the governor; if he approve he shall sign it, but if not, he shall return it with his objections, to the house in which it shall have originated, who sha enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it if, after such reconsideration, a majority of the whole number of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, tes the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved of by a majority of the whole number of that house, it shall become a law but in neither house shall the vote be taken on the same day on which the bill shall be returned to it; and in all such cases, the votes of both house shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons votin for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respe ively. If any bill shall not be returned by the governor, within five day (Sunday excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same sha be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the legislature by the adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. If an bill presented to the governor contain several items of appropriations money, he may object to one or more of such items while approving of t other portions of the bill. In such case he shall append to the bill, at t time of signing it, a statement of the items to which he objects, and the appor priation so objected to shall not take effect. If the legislature be in sess he shall transmit to the house in which the bill originated, a copy of s statement, and the items objected to shall be saparately reconsidered. If reconsideration, one or more of such items be approved by a majority of members elected to each house, the same shall be a part of the law, notwi standing the objections of the governor. All the provisions of this section relation to bills not approved by the governor shall apply to cases in wh he shall withhold his approval from any item or items contained in a appropriating money.15 S. No member of congress, or person holding an office under the Uni States, or this State, shall exercise the office of governor; and in case governor, or person administering the government, shall accept any office und the United States or this State; his office of governor shall thereupon vacant. Nor shall be be elected by the legislature to any office under the ernment of this State or of the United States, during the term for which shall have been elected governor.16 9. The governor, or person administering the government, shall have pow to suspend the collection of fines and forfeitures, and to grant reprieves 'extend until the expiration of a time not exceeding ninety days after co tion; but this power shall not extend to cases of impeachment. 10. The governor, or person administering the government, the ch cellor, and the six judges of the court of errors and appeals, or a major of them, of whom the governor, or person administering the government, be one, may remit fines and forfeitures, and grant pardons, after convict in all cases except impeachment. 11. The governor and all other civil officers under this State shall liable to impeachment for misdemeanor in office during their continuance office, and for two years thereafter. 12. In case of the death, resignation or removal front office of the ernor, the powers, duties and emoluments of the office shall devolve upon president of the senate, and in case of his death, resignation or removal, the upon the speaker of the house of assembly, for the time being, until anoth governor shall be elected and qualified; but in such case another gover shall be chosen at the next election for members of the legislature, unless s death, resignation or removal shall occur within thirty days immediately ceding such next election, in which case a governor shall be chosen at th second succeeding election for members of the legislature. When a vacant happens, during the recess of the legislature, in any office which is to 15 Amended in 1875 by adding the provision beginning "If any bill" in line 16 16 Amended in 1875 by adding the last sentence. Bed by the governor and senate, or by the legislature in joint meeting, the overnor shall fill such vacancy and the commission shall expire at the end the next session of the legislature, unless a successor shall be sooner apinted; when a vacancy happens in the office of clerk or surrogate of any anty, the governor shall fill such vacancy, and the commission shall expire ben a successor is elected and qualified. No person who shall have been minated to the senate by the governor for any office of trust or profit under e government of this State, and shall not have been confirmed before the tess of the legislature, shall be eligible for appointment to such office during ? continuance of such recess.17 13. In case of the impeachment of the governor, his absence from the te or inability to discharge the duties of his office, the powers, duties and oluments of the office shall devolve upon the president of the senate; and case of his death, resignation or removal, then upon the speaker of the ise of assembly for the time being, until the governor, absent or impeached, ll return or be acquitted, or until the disqualification or inability shall se, or until a new governor be elected and qualified. 14. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor from any other cause a those herein enumerated, or in case of the death of the governor-elect re he is qualified into office, the powers, duties and emoluments of the e shall devolve upon the president of the senate or speaker of the house issembly, as above provided for, until a new governor be elected and qual ARTICLE VI. JUDICIARY. 1. The judicial power shall be vested in a court of errors and appeals he last resort in all causes as heretofore; a court for the trial of impeachs; a court of chancery; a prerogative court; a supreme court; circuit ts, and such inferior courts as now exist, and as may be hereafter ordained established by law; which inferior courts the legislature may alter or sh, as the public good shall require. Section II. 1. The court of errors and appeals shall consist of the chancellor, the tes of the supreme court, and six judges, or a major part of them; which és are to be appointed for six years. Immediately after the court shall first assemble, the six judges shall ige themselyes in such manner that the seat of one of them shall be ed every year, in order that thereafter one judge may be annually ap ed. Such of the six judges as shall attend the court shall receive respecta per diem compensation, to be provided by law. The secretary of state shall be the clerk of this court. When an appeal from an order or decree shall be heard, the chancellor inform the court, in writing, of the reasons for his order or decree; but all not sit as a member, or have a voice in the hearing or final sentence. When a writ of error shall be brought, no justice who has given a ial opinion in the cause in favor of or against any error complained of. sit as a member, or have a voice on the hearing, or for its affirmance wersal; but the reasons for such opinion shall be assigned to the court riting. Section III. 1. The house of assembly shall have the sole power of impeaching, by a of a majority of all the members; and all impeachments shall be tried by senate; the members, when sitting for that purpose, to be on oath or nation "truly and impartially to try and determine the charge in question Paragraph 12 was amended in 1897 by adding the last sentence. |