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Constitutional Architecture

How the Republic Works

7 interactive diagrams — click any element to explore the constitutional provisions behind it.

gold underline opens the provision  ·  navy underline hover for context

Government structure

Democratic authority

1 · §1.8CitizensAccessible voting, office eligibility and democratic participation.2 · §3.1LegislatureAssembly originates legislation; Senate reviews and carries its distinct constitutional roles.3 · §2.14Two executivesSeparate domains; the Council coordinates without exercising executive power.4 · §4.5Independent courtsConcrete legal remedies and constitutional review within assigned jurisdiction.

Independent accountability

1 · §9.1Three MonitorsAudit, assess and publish; responsible institutions retain their own duties.2 · §11.1Record and voting panelsIndependent administration, separate functions and constitutional continuity.3 · §10.1National Record SystemPermanent public acts and electoral records, with protected privacy and lawful confidentiality.

Constitutional authority and public recording are distinct. The record creates legal effect only where the Constitution expressly makes publication a condition.

How a law is made

Ordinary legislation

1 · §3.1Assembly originationEvery bill begins in the Assembly, subject to single-subject and publication rules.2 · §3.7Chamber passageOrdinary passage needs absolute majorities of full seated membership.3 · §2.7Concurrent reviewConsuls review within ten business days, with domain-specific instruments and express exclusions.4 · §10.1Law and recordEffective law is published permanently; lawful judicial review remains available.

When there is disagreement

1 · §3.1Senate review deadlineAt most ninety days, plus one extension up to thirty; deemed approval never supplies an expressly required affirmative vote.2 · §2.7Civic returnOne-month suspension; Senate two-thirds override, or repassage in both chambers without another Civic veto.3 · §2.3.aLegat security vetoA genuine constitutional concern in the security domain; Senate override or later-session repassage under the provision.

Budgets, constitutional-obligation implementation and emergency legislation have special veto exclusions. Reconsideration is a distinct once-per-bill notice, with a Speaker-controlled pause.

Military authorization and accountability

Identify the authority

1 · §2.2Necessary immediate defenseActive or imminent attack; necessary defensive operations may cross the border.2 · §14.1Authorization by lawOther objectives need law within the two permitted purposes; crimes-against-humanity action needs stated grounds.3 · §14.4Treaty authorityA ratified treaty authorizes action required by its terms within permitted constitutional purposes.

Then maintain the limits

1 · §2.2Notify and planNotify the Civic Consul and both Speakers on initiating action; following notification, submit the operational timeline and budget to the Assembly Speaker.2 · §14.2Review and appropriateSenate reviews operations; Assembly reviews expenditure and appropriates. Material scope expansion needs further law.3 · §14.2Command and withdrawalLegat commands within authority and appropriations. Expiry ends objectives while preserving lawful orderly withdrawal.

The Senate may require return to alert posture when active defensive operations are no longer justified. Extraordinary immediate defensive expenditure under §12.2.a is limited to its stated necessity conditions. No constitutional second-renewal reconstruction-plan trigger remains.

The dual executive

Separate responsibility

1 · §2.1Legat ConsulNational four-year office; defense, foreign affairs and enumerated external functions.2 · §2.5Civic ConsulResidual domestic authority, domestic budget proposals and administration.3 · §2.14Council of MinistersStanding coordination forum. Pending a domain dispute, established functions continue and disputed actions pause.

Continuity and limits

1 · §4.5Resolve the domainUnresolved constitutional-domain disputes may go to the Supreme Court.2 · §2.14.aEmergency operational leadBoth Consuls concur and publish; coordination does not transfer constitutional domain.3 · §2.14.bVoluntary assistancePurpose and scope are public. Responding executive controls means; neither can compel the other.

Civic replacement requires an Assembly absolute majorityA majority of a chamber's full seated membership — counted against every seat filled, not just the members present or voting. choosing a named successor. Temporary incapacity and acting authority are separate from removal; their current rules are in §2.16.

Courts and judicial selection

Ordinary selection

1 · §9.4.aEligible Judicial PoolObjective constitutional criteria; the Elections Panel administers the pool.2 · §4.4Civic nominationSupreme Court nomination within the statutory period, at most ninety days.3 · §4.4Senate decisionVote within the statutory period, at most 120 days; majority of full seated membership confirms.4 · §4.3Term and interim continuityStaggered single twelve-year terms; temporary service fills vacancies without creating a new permanent appointment.

If the nomination or vote is late

1 · §4.4.aPublic routeTemporary Associate Justice submitted at the next electoral period; sixty percent confirms.2 · §4.4.aOrdinary confirmation firstConfirmation before ballot certification ends the public route.3 · §4.4.aPublic rejectionNext eligible appellate judge acts and vacancy process restarts.

Inferior-court nomination is without undue delay under §4.2, and case reassignment prevents vacancy-related delay. General challenges to federal statutes do not all fall within Supreme Court original jurisdiction.

Constitutional candidate pools

Common framework

1 · §9.8Objective eligibilityNo ideological, political-association or temperament exclusion.2 · §9.8Panel administrationPublic records, constitutional lotteries and statutory procedures; at least five eligible members per pool.3 · §9.3Independent auditLM pool: EM–JM; EM pool: LM–JM; JM pool: LM–EM.4 · §9.3Selection and confirmationOffice-specific nomination or lottery followed by national confirmation for Monitor Generals.

When the process fails

1 · §9.8Pool deficiencyPublish it and restore the pool under statutory procedures; timely judicial review protects excluded applicants.2 · §9.3LM or EM vacancy delayAfter sixty days without nomination, JMC selects by public lottery administered by the Elections Panel.3 · §9.1.dActing continuitySenior eligible accepting pool member acts; full-term and remainder-term confirmation remain distinct.

A failed advance confirmation does not end an incumbent’s unexpired term. Acting authority attaches to an actual vacancy or constitutional interruption, and acting service is not public confirmation.

States and federation

Territory to State

1 · §15.2Open proceedingGoverning resolution or qualifying citizen petition.2 · §15.2Complete audit recordAll three Monitor findings; first qualifying completion within two years, then second within its two-year period.3 · §15.2.aLegislative determinationAssembly initially decides Territorial compliance; timely records remain eligible for later decision.4 · §15.2Statehood by operationSecond qualifying affirmative decision creates Statehood, subject to subdivision viability; Senate seats follow.

Decisions and other routes

1 · §15.2.aLegislative delayExclusive transfer to other chamber; then judicial enforcement. Inaction supplies no substantive result.2 · §15.3Provisional statusThree failed determinations permit a separate placement decision; two biennial audits determined compliant restore ordinary status.3 · §15.5.aCompeting petitionsConvention under paragraph (4); affected-voter ratification and applicable merger/Statehood requirements remain.4 · §15.9Voluntary changesDevolution, merger and independence use distinct processes. State and local authority remain protected by §§3.10 and 15.8.a.

Monitor findings supply evidence rather than Statehood or a binding viability result. There is no compulsory devolution referendum on a senator’s term expiry.