Federation Charter

The Charter of the United Federation of Planets (also referred to as the Articles of the Federation or the Constitution of United Federation of Planets) is the document which founded the Federation, it was signed on October 11th 2161 in San Fransisco, by the then members of the Coalition of Planets, with the exception of Coridan, which declined membership at the time. It contained seven articles, which in turn dealt with and established, Rights of Citizens, Executive Power, Legislative Power, Judicial Power, the Rights of Member States, the role of the Military and the procedure for Amendments.

Preamble

We the life forms of the United Federation of Planets determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and to reaffirm faith in the fundamental rights of sentient beings, in the dignity and worth of all life forms, in the equal rights of members of planetary systems large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of interstellar law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of living on all worlds.

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Federation of Planets and do hereby establish an interstellar organization to be known as the United Federation of Planets.

Article One

• 1. Every citizen of the Federation has a right to life, liberty and security of person.

• 2. No Federation citizen shall be discriminated against for any reason, be it a result of their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

• 3. Every Citizen is entitled to Freedom of movement
  • a. Every Citizen has the right to un-restricted freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
  • b. Every citizen will also have the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

• 4. No Federation Citizen shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

• 5. No Citizen shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

• 6. All Citizens shall be presumed innocent, until they are proven guilty in a Court of Law, by a Jury of their Peers.

• 7. All Citizens have a duty to follow the laws of the Federation and should they breach these laws, or be accused of doing so, then they have the following rights:
  • a. They shall have the right to a free and fair trial by a jury of their peers
  • b. They shall have a right to know in advance of the trial the charges they face
  • c. They shall have a right to legal counsel for the duration of said trial and any punitive actions that should result of a conviction.
  • d. No citizen shall be forced to give evidence which may incriminate himself, nor shall evidence against a citizen be extracted forcibly.
  • e. No citizen shall be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment as a result of a trial
  • f. No citizen of the Federation shall be put to death as a punishment for a crime, no matter how grave the offence.

• 8. Every Citizen has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No Citizen shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property, by the state or any private organisation.

• 9. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes:
  • a. Freedom to hold opinions without interference and
  • b. To seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
  • c. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
  • d. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
  • e. Every citizen has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

• 10. Every Federation citizen has a right to participate in and benefit from the government of said organization, at any level.
  • a. Every Citizen has the right to equal access to services provided by the state
  • b. All citizens shall have the right to elect their leaders

• 11. Every Federation Citizen has a right to Health, Happiness and an Education
  • a. Every Citizen has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
  • b. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
  • c. Every citizen has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
  • d. Every citizen has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
  • e. Every child has a right to a free education, for as long as they wish.

• 12. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Every citizen has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article Two

• 1. The Executive Functions of the United Federation of Planets shall be vested in a President, who shall serve as the Head of State.

• 2. The President shall select a Vice-President to serve as his assistant and to ensure that in the event of the President becoming unable to fulfil his duties, the continuity of government is ensured.

• 3. The President shall be elected to serve a four year term in office, by all the citizens of the Federation. The winner of said election shall be the candidate with the most votes. A President may serve an unlimited number of terms of office, provided he is elected at the beginning of each one.

• 4. Any Federation citizen over the age of majority is eligible for candidacy for the Presidency of the United Federation of Planets. If a President is successfully elected then they shall immediately resign any other positions they hold. No citizen in the process of serving a Penal sentence may submit their candidacy for the duration of their sentence. Once they have served their sentence in Penal Servitude they may then submit their candidacy.

• 5. The President shall appoint a Cabinet to assist him in the running of the Civil Service, consisting of one Cabinet member for each Department within the Civil Service.

• 6. The President of the United Federation of Planets shall have the following powers:
  • a. The President, as Head of State, serves as Commander in Chief of any Military Organisation created by the Federation and shall be responsible for ensuring that it is led by the finest persons within said organisation.
  • b. The President has the power to declare war, provided he has secured the assent of the Council
  • c. The President has the power to grant pardons to convicted persons
  • d. The President, with the assent of the Council has the power to make and ratify treaties with other powers.
  • e. The President has the power to appoint a Cabinet, Judges to the Supreme Court and Foreign Ambassadors, all of which require the assent of the Council.
  • f. The President has the right to veto any legislation passed by the Council.
  • g. The President has the right to make decrees, which have the full force of law, but these may be overturned by a simple majority of members of the Council.

• 7. The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United Federation of Planets, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours. Officers of the Federation removed in this manner cannot be pardoned by the President of the United Federation of Planets and must suffer whatever punishment is impose by a jury of his peers, in a court of law, like any other Federation citizen.

Article Three

• 1. The Legislative Functions of the United Federation of Planets shall be vested in a unicameral body to be known as the Federation Council of Member Worlds. Members of this chamber shall be known as Councillors.

• 2. The Federation Council of Member Worlds shall be composed of two Councillors, elected by proportional representation from each Member and shall then sit upon the Council for a six year term. There are no limits on how many terms a Councillor may sit in the Council of Member Worlds for.

• 3. The Members of the Council shall elect themselves a speaker, a member who is considered to be of exceptionally high moral authority and to be exceedingly familiar with the processes of the Council. This speaker shall be responsible for ensuring that the business of the Council is conducted in an orderly and respectful manner.

• 4. Any Federation Citizen may put his candidacy forwards to become a Councillor, provided that they are not currently serving a sentence of penal servitude and they may only stand for election on the Member World of which they are a citizen.

• 5. The Federation Council of Member Worlds, being the legislative body shall have the power to draft legislation which is deemed necessary to the smooth working of the state, provided that it does not breach the rights of citizen enumerated in this document.
  • a. All Legislation passed by the Council of Member Worlds must be approved by the President of the United Federation of Planets. In the event the President utilises his veto of the Legislation, the Council may override it if two-thirds of the Council assent.
  • b. The Federation Council of Member Worlds shall have the power to collect taxes from citizens for the running of the state
  • c. The Federation Council shall have the responsibility for ensuring that the military arms of the United Federation of Planets have sufficient resources to protect her citizens and to seek out new life and new civilizations.
  • d. The Federation Council shall have the responsibility to ensure that all trade is regulated and that trade practices are fair and free from monopolies.
  • e. The rights of Federation Citizens shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. In the event of the end of said rebellion or invasion these rights must immediately be restored. A 2/3rds majority of Councillors is required to revoke a citizen’s right and for each right being revoked a separate vote must be held.
  • f. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

• 6. Council Members shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours. Officers of the Federation removed in this manner cannot be pardoned by the President of the United Federation of Planets and must suffer whatever punishment is impose by a jury of his peers, in a court of law, like any other Federation citizen.
  • a. Council Members, the President, Vice-President or any Civil Officer may be impeached by the Council of Member Worlds, in the event a trial must then be held and an impeachment will only succeed if 2/3rds of Members assent. No person may be impeached for the same breach twice.

Article Four

• 1. The United Federations of Planets highest court shall be the Federation Supreme Court. It shall be composed of nine senior judges, appointed by the Federation President and confirmed by the Council of Member Worlds.

• 2. The Federation Supreme Court has the power to strike a law from the statute book on the grounds that it is either:
  • a. Unconstitutional, on the grounds that it fundamentally changes a part of this constitution and has not gone through the amendments process described in Article Seven of this document, or:
  • b. It is deemed to breach a Citizens Rights, as enumerated in Article One of this document.

• 3. The Federation Supreme Court has the right to overturn any revocation of rights undertaken by the President or Council at any time and for any reason, provided that there has been a case tabled before them by a citizen for the restoration of said suspended rights.

• 4. Any citizen of the Federation shall be able to appeal to the Supreme Court to hear their case once they have exhausted any options for appeal in a lower court.

• 5. The Federation Supreme Court must approve of any successful impeachment of any public servant by the Council of Member Worlds.

• 6. Upon appeal to the Supreme Court, the citizen submitting the appeal is considered to have waived the right to trial by a Jury of his peers and is instead Tried by the full panel of the Supreme Court. This is the only time the right to a trial by Jury is suspended.

Article Five

• 1. Member States shall have a number of protected rights, to ensure that their individuality, cultural heritage and a degree of independence is preserved within the framework of the United Federation of Planets.
  • a. Any Federation Member may elect to leave the Federation at any time. Membership is entirely voluntary and shall be treated as such.
  • b. All Federation Members shall be entitled to maintain their own architecture of governance to ensure the efficient running of their worlds. This governance shall be considered subservient to Federal governance and Federal law shall take precedence over that of a Member World for as long as it is a member.
• c. A Member Worlds sovereignty shall be protected at all cost. Any territorial disputes between members shall be resolved by the Federation Council of Member Worlds.
• d. All Member Worlds retain the right to maintain a standing defence force, in addition to the Federal defence forces. Member Worlds may delegate their forces to Federal Defence Forces in the event of War or Rebellion, however this may not be coerced by the Federal government.

Article Six

• 1. The United Federation of Planets shall as required, maintain a standing force or forces which is authorised to utilise force at the direction of the government to ensure the safety and security of the United Federation of Planets and its citizens.

• 2. The United Federation of Planets shall hereby establish an organization, named Starfleet, which shall serve as both a Scientific and Exploration arm of the Federation but also as a Space based Naval force for the defence of the Federation and its citizens in times of war.

• 3. The Federation shall not maintain a standing army, however it shall within the auspices of Starfleet and Member Worlds Defence Forces ensure that all worlds within the Federations jurisdiction are adequately protected to ensure that her citizens may live without fear.

• 4. The President of the United Federation of Planets shall be the Commander in Chief of any Military organisation established by the Federation.

• 5. The Organisation, structure, budget and all matters pertaining to these organisations, as well as their establishment must be approved by the Federation Council of Member Worlds.

• 6. Any Military organisation established by the United Federation of Planets shall not interfere with Civilian Law Enforcement except with the express permission of the Federation Council of Member Worlds, the Federation President and the heads of any affected Federation Member World.

• 7. Any Military organisation established by the United Federation of Planets shall be expressly forbidden from being involved in politics and any officer or enlisted man who is a member of a military organisation must resign from said military organisation if they wish to enter the government of the United Federation of Planets.

• 8. Any Military organisation established by the United Federation of Planets shall formulate its own Uniform Code which will deal with matters of military justice and military discipline. This Code shall be approved by all three branches of government and require a vote in the Council of Member Worlds to alter.

• 9. Any Federation citizen may serve in any military organisation established by the United Federation of Planets and may not be barred from doing so because of their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Citizens may only be prevented from serving should they fail to meet the entrance requirements to said military organisation, which shall be established by the Council of Member Worlds and approved by all three branches of government and be in accordance with the aforementioned Military Code of Justice.

Article Seven

• 1. This document shall constitute the basis for the United Federation of Planets Governance and the Legal basis for its system of Jurisprudence. As such it may, in the future require to be amended.

• 2. In the event an amendment is required, it shall need to be proposed by either:
  • a. A Member of the Council of Member Worlds
  • b. The Government of a Federation Member World, supported by four or more other Governments

• 3. Amendments to this document shall only be made after:
  • a. Two-thirds of the Council of Member Worlds have assented to the amendment
  • b. Two-thirds of the Federation Member Worlds, ascertained by method of a referendum
  • c. The approval of the Federation Supreme Court, to ensure that the amendment does not violate the spirit of this document.

In faith, the representatives of the Governments of the United Federation of Planets have signed the present Charter. Done at the city of San Francisco the eleventh day of October, two thousand one hundred and sixty one.