CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO ADOPTED JANUARY 21, 1911 (AS AMENDED THROUGH 1974) PREAMBLE We, the people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do ordain and establish this Consti- tution. ARTICLE II BILL OF RIGHTS Sec. 1. The State of New Mexico is an inseparable part of the Feder- al Union, and the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land. Sec. 2. All political power is vested in and derived from the peo- ple, all government of right originates with the people, is founded upon their will and is instituted solely for their good. Sec. 3. The people of the state have the sole and exclusive right to govern themselves as a free, sovereign and independent state. Sec. 4. All persons are born equally free, and have certain natural, inherent and inalienable rights, among which are the rights of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and of seeking and ob- taining safety and happiness. Sec. 5. The rights, privileges and immunities, civil, political and religious guaranteed to the people of New Mexico by the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo shall be preserved inviolate. (ADOPTED BY TH PEOPLE NOV. 2, 1971) Sec. 6. No law shall abridge the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms for security and defense, for lawful hunting and recreational use and for other lawful purposes, but nothing herein shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons. Sec. 7. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall never be suspended, unless, in case of rebellion or invasion, the public safety requires it. Sec. 8. All elections shall be free and open, and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage. Sec. 9. The military shall always be in strict subordination to the civil power; no soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war except in the manner prescribed by law. Sec. 10. The people shall be secure in their persons, papers, homes and effects, from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrant to search any place, or seize any person or thing, shall issue without describing the place to be searched, or the person or things to be seized, nor without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation. Sec. 11. Every man shall be free to worship God according to the dic- tates of his own conscience, and no person shall ever be molested or denied any civil or political right or privi- lege on account of his religious opinion or mode of religi- ous worship. No person shall be required to attend any place of worship or support any religious sect or denomination; nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship. Sec. 12. The right of trial by jury as it has heretofore existed shall be secured to all and remain inviolate. In all cases triable in courts inferior to the district court the jury may consist of six. The legislature may provide that ver- dicts in civil cases may be rendered by less than a unani- mous vote of the jury. Sec. 13. All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offenses when the proof is evident or the pre- sumption great. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. (ADOPTED BY THE PEOPLE NOV. 4, 1924) Sec. 14. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, felonious or infamous crime unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury or information filed by a district attorney or attorney general or their deputies, except in cases aris- ing in the militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger. No person shall be so held on information without having had a preliminary examination before an ex- amining magistrate, or having waived such preliminary exam- ination. A grand jury shall be composed of such number, not less than twelve, as may be prescribed by law. Citizens only, residing in the county for which a grand jury may be convened and qualified as prescribed by law, may serve on the grand jury. Concurrence necessary for the finding of an indictment by a grand jury shall be prescribed by law; pro- vided, such concurrence shall never be by less than a major- ity of those who compose a grand jury, and, provided, at least eight must concur in finding an indictment when a grand jury is composed of twelve in number. Until otherwise prescribed by law a grand jury shall be composed of twelve in number of which eight must concur in finding an indict- ment. A grand jury shall be convened upon order of a judge of a court empowered to try and determine cases of capital, felonious or infamous crimes at such times as to him shall be deemed necessary, or a grand jury shall be ordered to convene by such judge upon the filing of a petition there- for signed by not less than seventy-five resident tax payers of the county, or a grand jury may be convened in any addi- tional manner as may be prescribed by law. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have the right to appear and defend himself in person, and by counsel; to demand the na- ture and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have the charge and testimony in- terpreted to him in a language he understands; to have com- pulsory process to compel the attendance of necessary wit- nesses in his behalf, and a speedy public trial by an impar- tial jury of the county or district in which the offense is alleged to have been committed. Sec. 15. No person shall be compelled to testify against himself in a criminal proceeding, nor shall any person be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense; and when the indictment, in- formation or affidavit upon which any person is convicted charges different offenses or different degrees of the same offense and a new trial is granted the accused, he may not again be tried for an offense or degree of the offense greater than the one of which he was convicted. Sec. 16. Treason against the state shall consist only in levying war against it, adhering to its enemies, or giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. Sec. 17. Every person may freely speak, write and publish his senti- ments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; and no law shall be passed to restrain or a- bridge the liberty of speech or of the press. In all crimi- nal prosecutions for libels, the truth may be given in evi- dence to the jury; and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as libelous is true and was published with good motives and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted. (ADOPTED BY THE PEOPLE NOV. 7, 1972) Sec. 18. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor shall any person be denied equal protection of the laws. Equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person. The effective date of this amendment shall be July 1, 1973. Sec. 19. No ex post facto law, bill of attainder, nor law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be enacted by the legisla- ture. Sec. 20. Private property shall not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation. Sec. 21. No person shall be imprisoned for debt in any civil action. (ADOPTED BY THE PEOPLE SEPT. 20, 1921) Sec. 22. Until otherwise provided by law no alien, ineligible to citizenship under the laws of the United States, or corp- oration, co-partnership or association, a majority of the stock or interest in which is owned or held by such aliens, shall acquire title, lease hold or other interest in or to real estate in New Mexico. Sec. 23. The enumeration in this Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny, impair or disparage others retain- ed by the people.