The Federalist Society

Constitution

PROLOGUE

The University of New Mexico School of Law Federalist Society ("UNMLS FS" or "Society") is a conservative student organization organized in accordance with the regulations of the University of New Mexico and the School of Law. The UNMLS FS honors, respects, and supports the Constitution of the United States of America.

ARTICLE I

SECTION I-Purpose

The purpose of the UNMLS FS is to foster critical thought and debate about the application of conservative principles to the law. The UNMLS FS embraces the principle that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to the integrity of the Constitution of the United States of America, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is--not what it should be. The UNMLS FS seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities. This entails reordering priorities within the legal system so as to place a premium on individual liberty, traditional values, and the rule of law. It also entails restoring recognition of these norms among lawyers, judges, law students and professors.

SECTION II-Membership

Membership in the UNMLS FS is open to any student at the University of New Mexico School of Law as well as any interested faculty or administration member. "Active members" are those that are current on their dues.

SECTION III-Faculty Advisor

The Faculty Advisor of the UNMLS FS will be a faculty member of the University of New Mexico School of Law. In the absence or unavailability of a suitable Faculty Advisor, the Society may turn to a member of the administration of the School of Law, one of its members, or to a suitable member of the legal profession outside the Law School.

ARTICLE II

SECTION I-Officers

The UNMLS FS shall have the following officers: President. Vice-President. Secretary, and Treasurer.

SECTION II-Duties

The UNMLS FS Officers shall have duties described below and any other duties that the President shall from time to time decide is expedient for the Society.

  1. President-- The President shall be the chief executive of the UNMLS FS. He shall call and preside over all UNMLS FS meetings and Executive Board meetings. He shall supervise all club activities. He shall have veto power concerning Society expenditures which can be overturned by two thirds of all active Society members. He shall serve as a liaison to any such other organizations as the Executive Board deems necessary. He shall have the power to appoint any such assistants as he deems necessary to assist him in fulfilling the duties of his office.
  2. Vice President-- The Vice President shall assist the President and preside in case of his absence or disability. He shall rule on all matters of parliamentary procedure. He shall reserve rooms for UNMLS FS meetings. He shall maintain all official records of the Society, including a mailing list of all members and any historical records. he shall supervise the committees through their respective Chairman.
  3. Secretary-- The Secretary shall take minutes of all Society meetings, maintain all Society correspondence, and notify UNMLS FS members of upcoming meetings. The Secretary shall notify the members of upcoming meetings in any manner the Executive Board may deem appropriate, including posing notice of such on the bulletin board, and using posters, notices, or other communications.
  4. Treasurer-- The Treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the UNMLS FS and shall present and supervise the budget. He shall be responsible for any fund raising activities and for the collection of Society dues.

SECTION III-Vacancies in Office

In the event that any officer is unable to fulfill his term for any reason, an election for that office shall be held during the next regularly scheduled UNMLS FS meeting following the vacancy. During the vacancy, the office may be filled on an interim basis by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE III

Executive Board

The members of the Executive Board shall be the four elected officers and the chairpersons of the committees. The Executive Board shall administer all routine business of the Society. A majority vote of the active Society members is sufficient to overturn a decision of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE IV

SECTION I-Committees

Committees shall be organized to administer various phases of the UNMLS FS. The Executive Board shall, as the need arises, establish committees consisting of Society members at large. The President shall appoint Committee Chairpersons, to take effect upon approval of the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall chair any committee formed concerning the finances of the UNMLS FS.

SECTION II-Responsibility

All committee chairman shall be immediately responsible to the Vice-President who shall coordinate the committees and shall assign to the committees any responsibilities delegated by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE V (Superceded by Article VIII, December 2007)

ARTICLE VI

Amendments and By-Laws

Any active member of the UNMLS:LS FS may propose amendments or by-laws to this Constitution. Amendments shall take effect upon ratification by two-thirds of the active members. By-laws shall take effect upon approval of a majority of the active members.

ARTICLE VII

Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order. Newly Revised shall govern the UNMLS FS in all cases to the extent that such do not conflict with any express provisions, policies, or procedures of this Constitution.

Article VIII

SECTION I-Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting shall be held in January of each year. The Treasurer shall report the status of the budget at that time. Officers for the next year shall be elected at this meeting. The newly elected officers shall assume their responsibilities on May 1.

SECTION II-Elections

It shall be the responsibility of the President to promulgate rules governing the election of new officers. Such rules shall be produced at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, and shall be distributed at a special meeting called for that purpose.