THE

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

ADOPTED NOVEMBER 6, 1894.
AS AMENDED AND in force JANUARY 1, 1924.

ARTICLE I.

§ 1. Persons not to be disfranchised.

2. Trial by jury.

3. Freedom of worship; religious liberty.

4. Habeas corpus.

5. Excessive bail and fines.

6. Grand jury- bill of rights.

7. Compensation for taking private property; private roads; drainage of agricultural lands; excess condemnation.

8. Freedom of speech and press; criminal prosecutions for libel. 9. Right to assemble and petition; divorce; lotteries, pool-selling and gambling; laws to prevent.

10. Escheats.

11. Feudal tenures abolished.

12. Allodial tenures.

13. Leases of agricultural lands.

14. Fines and quarter-sales abolished.

15. Purchase of lands of Indians.

16. Common law and acts of the colonial and state legislatures.

17. Grants of land made by the king of Great Britain since 1775;

prior grants.

18. Damages for injuries causing death.

19. Workmen's compensation.

ARTICLE II.

1. Qualification of voters.

1-a. Absentee voting.

2. Persons excluded from the right of suffrage.

3. Certain occupations and conditions not to affect residence.

4. Registration and election laws to be passed.

5. Manner of voting.

6. Registration and election boards to be bi-partisan, except at town and village elections.

§

1. Legislative powers.

ARTICLE III.

2. Number and terms of senators and assemblymen.

3. Senate districts.

4. Enumerations and reapportionments.

5. Apportionment of assemblymen; creation of assembly districts. 6. Compensation of members.

7. Civil appointment of members void.

8. Persons disqualified from being members. 9. Time of elections.

10. Powers of each house.

11. Journals: open sessions; adjournments.

12. Members not to be questioned for speeches.

13. Bill may originate in either house.

14. Enacting clause of bills.

15. Manner of passing bills.

16. Private and local bills not to embrace more than one subject.

17. Existing law made applicable to be inserted.

18. Cases in which private and local bills shall not be passed; restrictions as to laws authorizing street railroads.

19. Private claims not to be audited by legislature.

20. Two-thirds bills.

21. Appropriation bills.

22. Restrictions as to provisions in the appropriation or supply bills. 23. Certain sections not to apply to commission bills.

24. Tax bills to state tax distinctly.

25. When ayes and nays necessary; three-fifths to constitute quorum. 26. Boards of supervisors.

27. Local legislative powers.

28. Extra compensation prohibited.

29. Prison labor; contract system abolished.

§ 1. Executive power.

ARTICLE IV.

2. Qualifications of governor and lieutenant-governor. 3. Election of governor and lieutenant-governor.

4. Duties and powers of governor; compensation.

5. Reprieves, commutations, and pardons to be granted by governor. 6. When lieutenant-governor to act as governor.

7. Qualifications and duties of lieutenant-governor; succession to the governorship.

8. Salary of lieutenant-governor.

9. Bills to be presented to governor; approval; passage of bill by legislature if not approved.

ARTICLE V.

§ 1. State officers.

2. First election of state officers.

3. Superintendent of public works; appointment; powers and duties of.

4. Superintendent of state prisons, appointment; powers and duties of.

5. Commissioners of the land office; of the canal fund; canal board. 6. Powers and duties of boards.

7. State treasurer; suspension by governor.

8. Certain offices abolished.

9. Civil service appointments and promotions.

ARTICLE VI.

§ 1. Supreme court; how constituted; judicial districts.

2. Judicial departments; appellate division, how constituted; governor to designate justices; reporter; time and place of holding courts.

3. Judge or justice not to sit in review; testimony in equity cases. 4. Terms of office; vacancies, how filled.

5. City courts abolished; judges become justices of supreme court; salaries; jurisdiction vested in supreme court.

6. Circuit courts and courts of oyer and terminer abolished.

7. Court of appeals.

8. Vacancy in court of appeals, how filled.

9. Jurisdiction of court of appeals.

10. Judges not to hold any other office.

11. Removal of judges.

12. Compensation; age restriction; assignment by governor.

13. Trial of impeachments.

14. County courts.

15. Surrogates' courts; surrogates, their powers and jurisdiction;

vacancies.

16. Local judicial officers.

17. Justices of the peace; district court justices.

18. Inferior local courts, children's courts, courts of domestic relations.

19. Clerks of courts.

20. No judicial officer, except justice of the peace, to receive fees; not to act as attorney or counselor.

21. Publication of statutes.

22. Terms of office of present justices of the peace and local judicial officers.

23. Court of special sessions.

ARTICLE VII.

§ 1. State credit not to be given.
2. State debts, power to contract.

§

3. State debts to repel invasions.

4. Limitation of legislative power to create debts.

5. Sinking fund, how kept and invested.

6. Claims barred by statute of limitations.

7. Forest preserve.

8. Canals, not to be sold; not applicable to certain canals; disposition of funds.

9. No tolls to be imposed; contracts for work and materials; no extra compensation.

10. Canal improvement, and cost thereof.

11. Payment of state debts.

12. Improvement of highways.

13. Bonus to honorably discharged soldiers, sailors and marines of the World War.

ARTICLE VIII.

1. Corporations, formation of.

2. Dues of corporations.

3. Corporation, definition of term.

4. Savings bank charters; restrictions upon trustees; special charters

not to be granted.

5. Specie payment.

6. Registry of bills or notes.

7. Liability of stockholders of banks.

8. Billholders of insolvent bank, preferred creditors.

9. Credit or money of the state not to be given.

10. Limitation of indebtedness of counties, cities, towns and villages;

exception as to city of New York.

11. State board of charities; state commission in lunacy; state commission of prisons.

12. Boards appointed by governor.

13. Existing laws to remain in force.

14. Maintenance and support of inmates of charitable institutions. 15. Commissioners continued in office.

1. Common schools.

ARTICLE IX.

2. Regents of the university.

3. Common school, literature and the United States deposit funds. 4. No aid in denominational schools.

ARTICLE X.

1. Sheriffs, clerks of counties, district attorneys and registers;

governor may remove.

2. Appointment or election of officers, not provided for by this constitution.

3. Duration of term.

4. Time of election.

5. Vacancies in offices; how filled.

6. Political year.

7. Removal from office for misconduct, etc.

8. Office deemed vacant.

9. Compensation of officers.

ARTICLE XI.

§ 1. State militia.

2. Enlistment.

3. Organization of militia.

4. Appointment of military officers by the governor.

5. Manner of election of military officers prescribed by legislature. 6. Commissioned officers; their removal.

ARTICLE XII.

1. Organization of cities and villages.

2. Passage of special city laws by legislature prohibited.

3. Power of cities to enact local laws.

4. Power of legislature to enact certain local city laws.

5. Power of legislature to enact general city laws.

6. Election of city officers, when to be held; extension and abridg

ment of terms.

7. Existing charters and laws continued in force.