



                    CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
                            (as amended to 1970)

                                   PREAMBLE

          We, the people  of the State  of Illinois -  grateful to Al-
          mighty God  for the  civil, political  and religious liberty
          which He has permitted us to enjoy and seeking His  blessing
          upon our  endeavors -  in order  to provide  for the health,
          safety and welfare of the people; maintain a  representative
          and orderly  government; eliminate  poverty and  inequality;
          assure legal,  social and  economic justice;  provide oppor-
          tunity for the fullest development of the individual; insure
          domestic tranquility;  provide for  the common  defense; and
          secure the blessings  of liberty to  ourselves and our  pos-
          terity - do ordain  and establish this Constitution  for the
          State of Illinois.

                                    ARTICLE I

                                 BILL OF RIGHTS

Sec. 1.   All men are by nature free and independent and have  certain
          inherent and inalienable rights  among which are life,  lib-
          erty and the pursuit of  happiness.  To secure these  rights
          and the protection  of property, governments  are instituted
          among men, deriving  their just powers  from the consent  of
          the governed.

Sec. 2.   No  person shall  be deprived of  life, liberty or  property
          without due process of law  nor be denied the equal  protec-
          tion of the laws.

Sec. 3.   The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession  and
          worship, without  discrimination, shall  forever be  guaran-
          teed, and no person shall  be denied any civil or  political
          right, privilege  or capacity,  on account  of his religious
          opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall
          not be  construed to  dispense with  oaths or  affirmations,
          excuse acts of  licentiousness, or justify  practices incon-
          sistent with the peace and  safety of the State.   No person
          shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place
          of worship against his consent, nor shall any preference  by
          [probably should read  "be"] given by  law to any  religious
          denomination or mode of worship.

Sec. 4.   All persons  may speak, write and publish freely,  being re-
          sponsible for the abuse of  that liberty. In trials for  li-
          bel, both civil and criminal, the truth, when published with
          good motives and for justifiable ends, shall be a sufficient
          defense.

Sec. 5.   The people have the right to assemble in a peaceable manner,
          to consult for the common good, to make known their opinions
          to their representatives and to apply for redress of  griev-
          ances.

Sec. 6.   The people shall  have the right to be secure in  their per-
          sons, houses, papers and other possessions against unreason-
          able searches, seizures,  invasions of privacy  or intercep-
          tions of  communications by  eavesdropping devices  or other
          means.  No warrant shall issue without probable cause,  sup-
          ported by affidavit particularly describing the place to  be
          searched and the persons or things to be seized.

Sec. 7.   No  person shall  be held to  answer for a  criminal offense
          unless on  indictment of  a grand  jury, except  in cases in
          which the  punishment is  by fine  or by  imprisonment other
          than in the  penitentiary, in cases  of impeachment, and  in
          cases arising in the militia when in actual service in  time
          of war or  public danger.   The General Assembly  by law may
          abolish the grand jury or further limit its use. No  person
          shall be held to answer  for a crime punishable by  death or
          by  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  unless  either  the
          initial charge  has been  brought by  indictment of  a grand
          jury  or  the  person  has  been  given a prompt preliminary
          hearing to establish probable cause.

Sec. 8.   In criminal  prosecutions, the accused shall have the  right
          to appear and defend in person and by counsel; to demand the
          nature and cause of the accusation and have a copy  thereof;
          to meet the  witnesses face to  face and to  have process to
          compel the  attendance of  witnesses in  his behalf;  and to
          have  a  speedy  public  trial  by  an impartial jury of the
          county in  which the  offense is  alleged to  have been com-
          mitted.

Sec. 9.   All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except
          for capital offenses where the proof is evident or the  pre-
          sumption great. The privilege  of the writ of  habeas corpus
          shall not be suspended except  in cases of rebellion or  in-
          vasion when the public safety may require it.

Sec. 10.  No person shall be compelled in a criminal case to give evi-
          dence against himself nor be  twice put in jeopardy for  the
          same offense.

Sec. 11.  All  penalties  shall be  determined both  according to  the
          seriousness of the offense and with the objective of restor-
          ing the offender to useful citizenship.  No conviction shall
          work corruption of blood or forfeiture of estate.  No person
          shall be transported  out of the  State for an  offense com-
          mitted within the State.

Sec. 12.  Every person shall find a certain remedy in the laws for all
          injuries and wrongs which he receives to his person,  priva-
          cy, property or reputation. He shall obtain justice by  law,
          freely, completely, and promptly.

Sec. 13.  The right of  trial by jury as heretofore enjoyed  shall re-
          main inviolate.

Sec. 14.  No person shall be imprisoned for debt unless he refuses  to
          deliver up his  estate for the  benefit of his  creditors as
          provided  by  law  unless  there  is a strong presumption of
          fraud.  No person shall  be imprisoned for failure to  pay a
          fine in a criminal case unless he has been afforded adequate
          time to make payment, in installments if necessary, and  has
          willfully failed to make payment.

Sec. 15.  Private  property shall not be  taken or damaged for  public
          use  without  just  compensation  as  provided by law.  Such
          compensation shall be  determined by a  jury as provided  by
          law.

Sec. 16.  No  ex post  facto law, or  law impairing the  obligation of
          contracts or  making an  irrevocable grant  of special priv-
          ileges or immunities, shall be passed.

Sec. 17.  All persons shall have the right to be free from  discrimin-
          ation on the basis of race, color, creed, national  ancestry
          and sex in the hiring and promotion practices of any employ-
          er or in the sale or rental of property.

          These rights are enforceable  without action by the  General
          Assembly,  but  the  General  Assembly  by law may establish
          reasonable exemptions relating  to these rights  and provide
          additional remedies for their violation.

Sec. 18.  The  equal  protection of  the laws  shall not  be denied or
          abridged on account of sex by the State or its units of  lo-
          cal government and school districts.

Sec. 19.  All persons with a physical or mental handicap shall be free
          from discrimination in  the sale or  rental of property  and
          shall be  free from  discrimination unrelated  to ability in
          the hiring and promotion practices of any employer.

Sec. 20.  To  promote individual dignity, communications  that portray
          criminality, depravity or lack of virtue in, or that  incite
          violence, hatred,  abuse or  hostility toward,  a person  or
          group of persons by reason of or by reference to  religious,
          racial,  ethnic,  national   or  regional  affiliation   are
          condemned.

Sec. 21.  No  soldier in time of  peace shall be quartered  in a house
          without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war  except
          as provided by law.

Sec. 22.  Subject  only to  the police power,  the right of  the indi-
          vidual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Sec. 23.  A frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of civil
          government is  necessary to  preserve the  blessings of lib-
          erty. These blessings cannot endure unless the people recog-
          nize their corresponding individual obligations and  respon-
          sibilities.

Sec. 24.  The enumeration in this Constitution of certain rights shall
          not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the
          individual citizens of the State.

                                   ARTICLE II

                             THE POWERS OF THE STATE

Sec. 1.   The  legislative, executive and judicial branches  are sepa-
          rate. No branch shall exercise powers properly belonging  to
          another.

Sec. 2.   The enumeration in this Constitution of specified powers and
          functions shall not be  construed as a limitation  of powers
          of state government




