Maine constitution

Article I: declaration of rights

Section 1 - Natural rights. All people are born equally free and independent,...

Section 2 - All power is inherent in the people; all free governments...

Section 3 - All individuals have a natural and unalienable right to worship...

Section 4 - Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish sentiments on...

Section 5 - The people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers...

Section 6 - To have a speedy, public and impartial trial, and, except...

Section 6-a - No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property...

Section 7 - No person shall be held to answer for a capital...

Section 8 - No person, for the same offense, shall be twice put...

Section 9 - Sanguinary laws shall not be passed; all penalties and punishments...

Section 10 - No person before conviction shall be bailable for any of...

Section 11 - The Legislature shall pass no bill of attainder, ex post...

Section 12 - Treason against this State shall consist only in levying war...

Section 13 - The laws shall not be suspended but by the Legislature...

Section 14 - No person shall be subject to corporal punishment under military...

Section 15 - The people have a right at all times in an...

Section 16 - Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms...

Section 17 - No standing army shall be kept up in time of...

Section 18 - No soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in...

Section 19 - Every person, for an injury inflicted on the person or...

Section 20 - In all civil suits, and in all controversies concerning property,...

Section 21 - Private property shall not be taken for public uses without...

Section 22 - No tax or duty shall be imposed without the consent...

Section 23 - No title of nobility or hereditary distinction, privilege, honor or...

Section 24 - Other rights not impaired. The enumeration of certain rights shall...

Section 25 - All individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to...

Article II: electors

Section 1 - Indians. Every Indian, residing on tribal reservations and otherwise qualified,...

Section 2 - Electors shall, in all cases, except treason, felony or breach...

Section 3 - No elector shall be obliged to do duty in the...

Section 4 - The election of Senators and Representatives shall be on the...

Section 5 - Voting machines, or other mechanical devices for voting, may be...

Article III: distribution of powers

Section 1 - The powers of this government shall be divided into 3...

Section 2 - No person or persons, belonging to one of these departments,...

Article IV-1: house of representatives

Section 1 - The legislative power shall be vested in 2 distinct branches,...

Section 2 - The House of Representatives shall consist of 151 members, to...

Section 3 - The Supreme Judicial Court shall have original jurisdiction to hear...

Section 4 - No person may be a candidate for election as a...

Section 5 - The meetings within this State for the choice of Representatives...

Section 6 - Whenever the seat of a member shall be vacated by...

Section 7 - The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker, clerk and...

Section 8 - The House of Representatives shall have the sole power of...

Article IV-2: senate

Section 1 - The Senate shall consist of an odd number of Senators,...

Section 2 - The Supreme Judicial Court shall have original jurisdiction to hear...

Section 3 - The meetings within this State for the election of Senators...

Section 4 - The Governor shall, as soon as may be, examine the...

Section 5 - The Senate shall, on said first Wednesday of December, biennially...

Section 6 - The Senators shall be 25 years of age at the...

Section 7 - The Senate shall have the sole power to try all...

Section 8 - The Senate shall choose their President, Secretary and other officers.

Article IV-3: legislative power

Section 1 - The Legislature shall convene on the first Wednesday of December...

Section 1-a - Public members of the commission shall receive the same rate...

Section 2 - Every bill or resolution, having the force of law, to...

Section 2-a - The Governor has power to disapprove any dollar amount appearing...

Section 3 - Each House shall be the judge of the elections and...

Section 4 - Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish...

Section 5 - Each House shall keep a journal, and from time to...

Section 6 - Each House, during its session, may punish by imprisonment any...

Section 7 - The Senators and Representatives shall receive such compensation, as shall...

Section 8 - The Senators and Representatives shall, in all cases except treason,...

Section 9 - Bills, orders or resolutions, may originate in either House, and...

Section 10 - No Senator or Representative shall, during the term for which...

Section 11 - No member of Congress, nor person holding any office under...

Section 12 - Neither House shall during the session, without the consent of...

Section 13 - The Legislature shall, from time to time, provide, as far...

Section 14 - Corporations shall be formed under general laws, and shall not...

Section 15 - The Legislature shall, by a 2/3 concurrent vote of both...

Section 16 - No Act or joint resolution of the Legislature, except such...

Section 17 - 3. Referral to electors; proclamation by Governor. As soon as...

Section 18 - 3. Timing of elections; proclamation by Governor. The Governor shall,...

Section 19 - Any measure referred to the people and approved by a...

Section 20 - As used in any of the 3 preceding sections or...

Section 21 - The city council of any city may establish the direct...

Section 22 - Until the Legislature shall enact further laws not inconsistent with...

Section 23 - This section shall allow, but not require, reimbursement for statutory...

Article V-1: executive power

Section 1 - The supreme executive power of this State shall be vested...

Section 2 - The Governor shall be elected by the qualified electors, and...

Section 3 - The meetings for election of Governor shall be notified, held...

Section 4 - The Governor shall, at the commencement of the Governor's term,...

Section 5 - No person holding any office or place under the United...

Section 6 - The Governor shall, at stated times, receive for services a...

Section 7 - The Governor shall be commander in chief of the army...

Section 8 - Nomination by Governor made 7 days prior to appointment of...

Section 9 - The Governor shall from time to time give the Legislature...

Section 10 - The Governor may require information from any military officer, or...

Section 11 - The Governor shall have power to remit after conviction all...

Section 12 - The Governor shall take care that the laws be faithfully...

Section 13 - The Governor may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the Legislature; and...

Section 14 - Mental or physical disability of the Governor continuously for more...

Section 15 - Whenever either the President of the Senate or Speaker of...

Article V-2: secretary

Section 1 - The Secretary of State shall be chosen biennially at the...

Section 1-a - If a vacancy occurs in the office of the Secretary...

Section 2 - The records of the State shall be kept in the...

Section 3 - The Secretary of State shall attend the Governor, Senate and...

Section 4 - The Secretary of State shall carefully keep and preserve the...

Article V-3: treasurer

Section 1 - The Treasurer shall be chosen biennially, at the first session...

Section 1-a - Succession to the office of Treasurer. If a vacancy occurs...

Section 2 - The Treasurer shall, before entering on the duties of that...

Section 3 - The Treasurer shall not, during the treasurer's continuance in office,...

Section 4 - No money shall be drawn from the treasury, except in...

Section 5 - The Legislature shall enact general law prohibiting the use of...

Article VI: judicial power

Section 1 - The judicial power of this State shall be vested in...

Section 2 - The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court and the Judges...

Section 3 - The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court shall be obliged...

Section 4 - All judicial officers appointed by the Governor shall hold their...

Section 5 - No Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court or any other...

Section 6 - Judges and registers of probate shall be elected by the...

Article VII: military

Section 1 - All commissioned officers of the militia shall be appointed and...

Section 2 - The Legislature shall, by law, designate the qualifications necessary for...

Section 3 - The Adjutant General shall be appointed by the Governor. But...

Section 4 - The organization, armament and discipline of the militia and of...

Section 5 - Persons of the denominations of Quakers and Shakers, Justices of...

Article VIII-1: education

Section 1 - A general diffusion of the advantages of education being essential...

Section 2 - For the purpose of assisting the youth of Maine to...

Article VIII-2: home rule

Section 1 - The inhabitants of any municipality shall have the power to...

Section 2 - For the purposes of fostering, encouraging and assisting the physical...

Article IX: general provisions

Section 1 - Administration of oaths to Governor, Senators, Representatives, and other officers....

Section 2 - No person holding the office of Justice of the Supreme...

Section 3 - All commissions shall be in the name of the State,...

Section 4 - Elections on the first Wednesday after first Tuesday of January...

Section 5 - Every person holding any civil office under this State, may...

Section 6 - The tenure of all offices, which are not or shall...

Section 7 - While the public expenses shall be assessed on estates, a...

Section 8 - 5. Historic and scenic preservation. The Legislature shall have the...

Section 9 - The Legislature shall never, in any manner, suspend or surrender...

Section 10 - Removal of sheriffs from office and replacement. Whenever the Governor...

Section 11 - The Attorney General shall be chosen biennially by joint ballot...

Section 12 - The Legislature may by law authorize the dividing of towns...

Section 13 - The Legislature may enact laws excluding from the right of...

Section 14 - The credit of the State shall not be directly or...

Section 14-a - For the purposes of fostering, encouraging and assisting the physical...

Section 14-b - Authority to insure revenue bonds of the Maine School Building...

Section 14-C - For the purpose of fostering and encouraging the acquisition, construction,...

Section 14-D - For the purposes of recognizing the services and sacrifices of...

Section 15 - Municipal borrowing regulated by Legislature through general law. The Legislature...

Section 16 - Augusta is hereby declared to be the seat of government...

Section 17 - Continuity of Government in case of enemy attack. Notwithstanding any...

Section 18 - All of the assets, and proceeds or income therefrom, of...

Section 18-a - Beginning with the fiscal year starting July 1, 1997, the...

Section 18-b - Payment of unfunded liabilities of the Maine State Retirement System....

Section 19 - Limitation on expenditure of motor vehicle and motor vehicle fuel...

Section 20 - The principal amount of the Mining Excise Tax Trust Fund...

Section 21 - For the purpose of more fairly apportioning the cost of...

Section 22 - The amount of funds appropriated in any fiscal year to...

Section 23 - State park land, public lots or other real estate held...

Section 24 - 3. Judicial review. The Supreme Judicial Court has original jurisdiction...

Section 25 - 2. Supreme Judicial Court. If the Legislature fails to make...

Article X: additional provisions

Section 3 - All laws now in force in this State, and not...

Section 4 - The Legislature, whenever 2/3 of both Houses shall deem it...

Section 6 - The Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court shall arrange...

Section 7 - Note: The omitted sections may be found in the text...