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Text of the Ausonian Constitution of 1848
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE AUSONIAN COMMONWEALTH
as duly ratified and proclaimed by the Ausonian Constitutional Convention
on the Nineteenth day of June, in the Year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
Preamble
In the name of the Almighty Ever-Living God.
We, the people of the Ausonian Commonwealth, in order to strengthen the bonds of the sovereign Provinces, establish justice, provide for the common defence of the Fatherland, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity to ourselves and for all time, hereby proclaim and establish this Constitution of the Commonwealth.
Article 1 - Basic Rights
1) All Ausonians are equal before the eyes of God and of the law, and thus all rights and dignities are sacred and inviolable.
2) The Senate shall thus be proscribed from establishing a state religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of faith.
3) The Senate and the Provinces are proscribed from abridging the freedom of speech, of thought, and of the press, nor can they prohibit the People from petitioning for a redress of grievances.
4) As necessary for the security of the Fatherland and the liberty of the people, the universal right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed by both the Senate and the Provinces.
5)The right to privacy shall not be infringed, with all Ausonians entitled to the security of their person, houses, papers, and effects.a. The right to the security of their lives and property against searches and seizures shall not be violated without a warrant issued upon probable cause, specifically detailing the persons or items to be seized.
b. No person shall be held without the presence of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor placed under the same offence for crimes already acquitted; nor be compelled to testify against himself; nor be subject to arbitrary seizure of property without due process of the law; nor be subject to cruel or degrading punishment.6)