Page:The Federal and state constitutions v5.djvu/272

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2798
North Carolina—1776

Two. Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to remove from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under this State; but the party convicted may nevertheless be liable to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law.

Three. The house of commons shall have the sole power of impeachment. The senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. No person shall be convicted upon any impeachment unless two-thirds of the senators present shall concur in such conviction; and before the trial of any impeachment, the members of the senate shall take an oath or affirmation truly and impartially to try and determine the charge in question according to evidence.

Sec. 2. Any judge of the supreme court or of the superior courts may be removed from office for mental or physical inability, upon a concurrent resolution of two-thirds of both branches of the general assembly. The judge against whom the legislature may be about to proceed shall receive notice thereof, accompanied by a copy of the causes alleged for his removal, at least twenty days before the day on which either branch of the general assembly shall act thereon.

The salaries of the judges of the supreme court, or of the superior courts, shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

Sec. 3. Upon the conviction of any justice of the peace of any infamous crime, or of corruption or malpractice in office, the commission of such justice shall be thereby vacated, and he shall be forever disqualified from holding such appointment.

Sec. 4. The general assembly, at its first session after the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, and from time to time thereafter, shall appoint an attorney-general, who shall be commissioned by the governor, and shall hold his office for the term of four years; but if the general assembly should hereafter extend the term during which solicitors of the State shall hold their offices, then they shall have power to extend the term of office of the attorney-general to the same period.

Art. IV. Section 1. One. No convention of the people shall be called by the general assembly, unless by the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of each house of the general assembly.

Two. No part of the constitution of this State shall be altered, unless a bill to alter the same shall have been read three times in each house of the general assembly, and agreed to by three-fifths of the whole number of members of each house respectively; nor shall any alteration take place until the bill so agreed to shall have been published six months previous to a new election of members to the general assembly. If, after such publication, the alteration proposed by the preceding general assembly shall be agreed to in the first session thereafter, by two-thirds of the whole representation in each house of the general assembly, after the same shall have been read three times on three several days in each house, then the said general assembly shall prescribe a mode by which the amendment or amendments may be submitted to the qualified voters of the house of commons throughout the State; and if, upon comparing the votes given in the whole State, it shall appear that a majority of the voters have approved thereof, then, and not otherwise, the same shall become a part of the constitution.

Sec. 2. The thirty-second section of the constitution shall be