
                                   CONSTITUTION    
                                      OF THE       
                              STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

                                     PREAMBLE      

          WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful
          to Almighty  God for  the blessings  of civil  and religious
          liberty, and  humbly invoking  His guidance,  do ordain  and
          establish this Constitution.

                                    ARTICLE I

                              DECLARATION OF RIGHTS

          That the general, great and essential principles of  liberty
          and free government may be recognized and unalterably estab-
          lished, WE DECLARE THAT:

Sec. 1.   All men are born equally free and independent, and have cer-
          tain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which are those
          of enjoying  and defending  life and  liberty, of acquiring,
          possessing and  protecting property  and reputation,  and of
          pursuing their own happiness.

Sec. 2.   All power is  inherent  in the people, and  all free govern-
          ments  are  founded  on  their  authority and instituted for
          their peace,  safety and  happiness. For  the advancement of
          these ends  they have  at all  times an  inalienable and in-
          defeasible right to alter,  reform or abolish their  govern-
          ment in such manner as they may think proper.

Sec. 3.   All  men have  a natural and  indefeasible right to  worship
          Almighty God  according to  the dictates  of their  own con-
          sciences; no man can of right be compelled to attend,  erect
          or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry
          against his  consent; no  human authority  can, in  any case
          whatever, control  or interfere  with the  rights of consci-
          ence, and no  preference shall ever  be given by  law to any
          religious establishment or modes of worship.

Sec. 4.   No person who  acknowledges the being of a God and  a future
          state of rewards  and punishments shall,  on account of  his
          religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office  or
          place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth.

Sec. 5.   Elections shall  be free  and equal; and no  power, civil or
          military, shall at  any time interfere  to prevent the  free
          exercise of the right of suffrage.

Sec. 6.   Trial by jury shall be as heretofore, and the right  thereof
          remain inviolate. The General Assembly may provide, however,
          by law,  that a  verdict may  be rendered  by not  less than
          five/sixths of the jury in any civil case.

Sec. 7.   The  printing press  shall be free  to every person  who may
          undertake to examine the  proceedings of the Legislature  or
          any branch of government, and  no law shall ever be  made to
          restrain  the  right  thereof.  The  free  communication  of
          thoughts and  opinions is  one of  the invaluable  rights of
          man, and every citizen may freely speak, write and print  on
          any subject, being  responsible for the  abuse of that  lib-
          erty. No conviction shall be had in any prosecution for  the
          publication of papers relating to official conduct of  offi-
          cers or men in public capacity, or to any other matter  pro-
          per for public investigation or information, where the  fact
          that  such  publication  was  not maliciously or negligently
          made shall be established  to the satisfaction of  the jury;
          and in all  indictments for libels  the jury shall  have the
          right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  under  the
          direction of the court, as in other cases.

Sec. 8.   The people shall be secure in their persons, houses,  papers
          and possessions from unreasonable searches and seizures, and
          no warrant  to search  any place  or to  seize any person or
          things shall issue without describing them as nearly as  may
          be, nor without probable cause, supported by oath or affirm-
          ation subscribed to by the affiant.

Sec. 9.   In all criminal prosecutions the accused hath a right to  be
          heard by himself and his  counsel, to demand the nature  and
          cause of the accusation  against him, to meet  the witnesses
          face  to  face,  to  have  compulsory  process for obtaining
          witnesses in his favor,  and, in prosecutions by  indictment
          or information, a speedy  public trial by an  impartial jury
          of the  vicinage; he  cannot be  compelled to  give evidence
          against himself, nor can he be deprived of his life, liberty
          or property, unless by the judgement of his peers or the law
          of the land.

Sec. 10.  Except as hereinafter provided no person shall, for any  in-
          dictable offense, be proceeded against criminally by inform-
          ation, except in cases arising in the land and naval forces,
          or in the militia, when in actual service, in time of war or
          public danger, or  by leave of  the court for  oppression or
          misdemeanor in office. Each of the several courts of  common
          pleas may, with the  approval of the Supreme  Court, provide
          for the  initiation of  criminal proceedings  therein by in-
          formation filed  in the  manner provided  by law.  No person
          shall, for  the same  offence, be  twice put  in jeopardy of
          life or limb; nor shall private property be taken or applied
          to public  use, without  authority of  law and  without just
          compensation being first made or secured.

Sec. 11.  All courts shall be  open; and every man for an injury  done
          him in  his lands,  goods, person  or reputation  shall have
          remedy by due  course of law,  and right and  justice admin-
          istered without sale, denial or delay. Suits may be  brought
          against the Commonwealth in such manner, in such courts  and
          in such cases as the Legislature may by law direct.

Sec. 12.  No power of suspending laws shall be exercised unless by the
          Legislature or by its authority.

Sec. 13.  Excessive  bail shall  not be required,  nor excessive fines
          imposed, nor cruel punishments inflicted.

Sec. 14.  All prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties,  un-
          less for capital offenses when the proof is evident or  pre-
          sumption great; and the privilege of the writ of habeas cor-
          pus shall not be suspended, unless when in case of rebellion
          or invasion the public safety may require it.

Sec. 15.  No commission shall issue creating special temporary  crimi-
          nal tribunals  to try  particular individuals  or particular
          classes of cases.

Sec. 16.  The person of  a debtor, where there is not  strong presump-
          tion of fraud, shall not be continued in prison after deliv-
          ering up his estate for the benefit of his creditors in such
          manner as shall be prescribed by law.

Sec. 17.  No ex post  facto law, nor any law impairing  the obligation
          of contracts,  or making  irrevocable any  grant of  special
          privileges or immunities, shall be passed.

Sec. 18.  No  person shall  be attainted of  treason or felony  by the
          Legislature.

Sec. 19.  No attainder  shall work  corruption  of  blood, nor, except
          during the  life of  the offender,  forfeiture of  estate to
          the Commonwealth.

Sec. 20.  The citizens have a right in a peaceable manner to  assemble
          together for their  common good, and  to apply to  those in-
          vested with the powers  of government for redress  of griev-
          ances or other proper purposes, by petition, address or  re-
          monstrance.

Sec. 21.  The right of the  citizens to bear arms in defense of  them-
          selves and the State shall not be questioned.

Sec. 22.  No standing army shall, in time of peace, be kept up without
          the consent of  the Legislature, and  the military shall  in
          all cases and at all times be in strict subordination to the
          civil power.

Sec. 23.  No soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in any  house
          without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but  in
          a manner to be prescribed by law.

Sec. 24.  The Legislature  shall  not grant any  title of nobility  or
          hereditary distinction, nor  create any office  the appoint-
          ment to which  shall be for  a longer term  than during good
          behavior.

Sec. 25.  To guard against transgressions of the high powers which  we
          have delegated, we declare  that everything in this  article
          is  excepted  out  of  the  general powers of government and
          shall forever remain inviolate.

Sec. 26.  Neither  the  Commonwealth  nor  any  political  subdivision
          thereof shall deny to any  person the enjoyment of any  civ-
          il right, nor discriminate  against any person in  the exer-
          cise of any civil right.

Sec. 27.  The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the
          preservation of the  natural, scenic, historic  and esthetic
          values of  the environment.   Pennsylvania's public  natural
          resources are the common property of all the people, includ-
          ing generations yet to come. As trustee of these  resources,
          the Commonwealth  shall conserve  and maintain  them for the
          benefit of all the people.

Sec. 28.  Equality  of  rights under  the law  shall not  be denied or
          abridged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because of  the
          sex of the individual.





