Legion Constitution

Section 1: General Purpose

• 1.1) The Legion of Super-Heroes shall be an organization devoted to preserving the peaceful life of sentient beings throughout the universe.
  
  
• 1.2) Having duly qualified under the United Planets’ statute-in-council #2958-07Q (“The Legion of Super-Heroes Revenue Act”), as amended from time to time, and appropriate United Planets’ Revenue Codes, especially Sections 108.9 and 283.6, (otherwise known as the “Not for Profit Heroes Amendment”). the Legion of Super-Heroes shall be an independent organization responsible only to the President and Council of the United Planets and such authorities as they may from time to time designate.
  
  
• 1.3) Under the terms of the laws cited in Section 1.2 above, the Legion of Super-Heroes’ finances shall be administered to fulfil the purposes of this Constitution by non-members of the organization under direction from the current Leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes and without any interference from any private individual or local government.

Section 2: Membership

• 2.1) There shall be three classes of membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes: active, honorary and reserve members.
  
  
• 2.2) Active members shall be those duly qualified and elected individuals who shall be on call twenty-four (24) Terran standard hours per Terran standard day (except as provided in Sections 2.3 and 4.2 hereof), and who shall devote substantially all of their time to the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  
  
• 2.3) Honorary members shall be those worthy individuals who do not quality for active membership hereunder but whom the active membership wishes to honour with inclusion in the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  
  
• 2.4) Reserve members shall be those duly qualified end elected individuals who shall be prepared to take action in the event of an emergency when active members require assistance or are unable to respond, and who shall devote such reasonable portions of their time to Legion of Super-Heroes duties as the Leader may from time to time require.

Section 3: Admission to Membership

• 3.1) To qualify for active membership, a candidate must:
  
  
  • have at least one genuine super-power not activated, assisted, or powered by extrinsic means;
    
  • be able to fully control such power; and
    
  • be courageous and of good character.
  
  
• 3.2) Candidates may be proposed for membership by any member or may propose themselves on such occasions when the Legion of Super-Heroes may announce a willingness to examine candidates. Candidates are subject to evaluation by the standing the Committee on Membership to determine the candidates’ qualifications and merits, including any reasonable testing procedures the Committee may deem necessary and desirable. The results of such evaluation shall then be presented to the membership by the chairperson of such Committee, along with the candidate.
  
  
• 3.3) Voting on new active members shall then take place as provided in Sections 8.2 and 8.3 hereunder. Candidates elected shall be promptly inducted into active membership.
  
  
• 3.4) Worthy candidates not elected may be elected to reserve membership status, or may reapply for active membership at a later date.
  
  
• 3.5) After election and induction, new active members shall undergo a probationary period as the standing Committee on Membership shall see fit.
  
  
• 3.6) In times of emergency, any team of active members may grant provisional active membership to an individual they deem worthy who is assisting in the resolution of such emergency. Upon the resolution of such emergency, such provisional active member shall immediately become considered for active membership as provided hereunder.
  
  
• 3.7) Candidates for honorary membership may be proposed for membership by any active member. Candidates are subject to evaluation by the standing Committee on Membership to determine their merits. The results of such evaluation shall then be presented to the membership by the Chairperson of such Committee.
  
  
• 3.8) Voting on new honorary members shall then take place as provided in Sections 8.2 and 8.3 hereunder. Candidates elected shall be promptly informed of such election and offered honorary membership and, upon their acceptance of same, shall be promptly inducted as honorary members.
  
  
• 3.9) To qualify for reserve membership, a candidate must be either:
  
  • a former active member;
    
  • an honorary member; or
    
  • a worthy candidate for active membership not elected to active membership.
  
  
  
• 3.10) Candidates for reserve membership may be proposed to membership by any active member. Candidates are subject to evaluation by the standing Committee on Membership to determine their qualifications and merits, including any reasonable testing procedures the Committee may deem necessary or desirable. The results of such evaluation shall then be presented to the membership by the chairperson of such Committee, along with the candidate.
  
  
• 3.11) Voting on new reserve members shall then take place as provided in Sections 8.2 and 8.3 hereunder. Candidates elected shall be promptly inducted into reserve membership.
  
  
• 3.12) After election and induction. new reserve members shall undergo a training period as the standing Committee on Membership shall see fit, prior to assuming their duties.

Section 4: Resignations or Expulsions from Membership

• 4.1) Members may resign at any time without cause.
  
  
• 4.2) Members may, with the consent of the Leader or of a simple majority of the active membership, place themselves on voluntary leave or part-time status. Such consent may be revoked at any time, and during such time members shall continue to have all obligations ordinarily incumbent upon Legionnaires except as to the proportion of time they shall devote to Legion-related duties.
  
  
• 4.3) Members shall be subject to expulsion for any failure to conform to the provisions of this Constitution applying to them. Grounds for expulsion shall include, but not be limited to:
  
  • failure to continue to fulfil the requirements for membership as set forth in Section 3.1 hereof;
    
  • failure to fulfil the duties of a Legionnaire or attempting to subvert another member from doing so;
    
  • failure to obey the Leaders orders;
    
  • disloyalty to the Legion of Super-Heroes;
    
  • cowardice, dishonesty, or fraud;
    
  • becoming magically or psychologically unfit for duty and failing to place oneself on voluntary leave or suspension;
    
  • revealing Legion of Super-Heroes secrets or confidential information acquired while serving as a Legionnaire;
    
  • knowingly taking the life of a sentient being in other than a provable situation of self-defence or as a provable only available alternative to the death of sentient beings.
  
  
  
• 4.4) In the event a member is accused by another member of conduct meriting expulsion, the Leader shall suspend the accused and conduct an inquiry into the accusation. The result of such inquiry shall be presented to the active members in the fashion of a trial, with the accused given all the benefits of such a proceeding, including representation by an active member.
  
  
• 4.5) At the conclusion of such a trial, the question of expulsion shalt be as provided in Sections 8.2 and 8.3 herein, except that the accused shall have no vote on the question.
  
  
• 4.6) Members expelled or resigning from the Legion of Super-Heroes and not awarded either honorary or reserve membership must submit to psychotherapy to remove all memory of Legion of Super-Heroes secrets or confidential information gained while serving as a Legionnaire, and must return all Legion of Super-Heroes property and surrender all benefits end privileges of membership.

Section 5: Membership Activities

• 5.1) Upon admission, members are required to swear an oath of loyalty to the Legion of Super-Heroes in a manner as may be prescribed from time to time by the standing Committee on Constitutional Matters. A similarly prescribed oath shall be sworn by all Legionnaires annually at a rededication ceremony held at the Legion of Super-Heroes headquarters on Earth.
  
  
• 5.2) Active members shall keep the member or members charged with Mission Monitor Board Duty aware of their location at all times.
  
  
• 5.3) Active members shall be deputized as officers of the Science Police and, to the extent possible, shall cooperate with the Science Police Commander and his designated representative.
  
  
• 5.4) Members shall participate in ongoing educational and training activities as required by the standing Committee on Membership. Such activities shall include language education, although the only language required prior to a Legionnaire assuming active status shall be Interlac.
  
  
• 5.5) Members shall receive no salaries and/or rewards or compensation from any person or organization other than the Legion of Super-Heroes. Any sums received that cannot be waived shall be donated to the organization’s treasury. The Leader shall periodically set living allowances at various levels for active, honorary and reserve members, which shall be paid out of the Legion of Super-Heroes’ funds.
  
  
• 5.6) Active members shall also be entitled to housing, security, food and clothing that will accommodate their needs at the Legion of Super-Heroes’ expense.
  
  
• 5.7) All members are required to design a personal uniform, with the aid of Athramite staff if needed, that accommodates itself to the required standardized look of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  
  
• 5.8) All members will be issued a serialized Legion flight ring, regardless if the wearer needs the aid of flight or not, for communication and location purposes. The ring is the property of the Legion of Super-Heroes and can not be given away. Penalty for doing so can result in expulsion in Section 4.3.
  
  
• 5.9) Members with substantial personal financial interests shall be required to declare them to the standing Committee on Constitutional Matters, which may require the member to divest such interests or place them in a blind trust for the duration of such members’ membership.
  
  
• 5.10) Members shall have the right to participate either in person or via telecommunications in all Legion of Super-Heroes meetings at which any matters are voted upon or to call meetings at any reasonable interval.
  
  
• 5.11) Members shall be entitled to medical care at the expense of the Legion of Super-Heroes for all injuries received while Legionnaires.

Section 6: Leadership

• 6.1) Each year the active members of the Legion of Super-Heroes shall select a Leader and a Deputy Leader from among the full-time active members in a manner conforming to the requirements of Sections 8.2, 8.3 and 8.4 hereunder.
  
  
• 6.2) The Leader and Deputy Leader shall serve for concurrent one-year terms and may be re-elected for consecutive terms.
  
  
• 6.3) In the event of the resignation, expulsion, leave of absence, death or incapacity of:
  
  • the Leader, the Deputy Leader shall become Leader and shall appoint a new Deputy Leader;
    
  • the Deputy Leader, the Leader shall appoint a new Deputy Leader; or
    
  • both the Leader and the Deputy Leader, the senior active member shall serve as temporary Leader, with
  • a new Leader and Deputy Leader to be selected at the first opportunity in a manner conforming to the
  • requirements of Sections 8.2, 8.3 and 8.4 hereunder.
  
  
  
• 6.4) The Leader shall be the supreme commander of the Legion of Super-Heroes, answerable only to the United Planets Authorities and restricted only by the applicable provisions of this Constitution.
  
  
• 6.5) The Leader may authorize the Deputy Leader or any active member as an acting or temporary or team Leader with an appropriate portion of the Leader’s authority hereunder.
  
  
• 6.6) Members shall, in all instances, be required to obey the orders of the Leader and/or the Leader’s duly authorized representative, so long as such orders conform to this Constitution.
  
  
• 6.7) The Leader may be suspended temporarily by a unanimous vote of the standing Committee on Constitutional Matters, and such suspension shall last only until a court-martial may be held as provided in Section 4 hereunder.
  
  
• 6.8) The Leader is responsible for the funds of the Legion of Super-Heroes under Section 1.3 hereunder and shall have the full freedom to use those funds to fulfil the purposes and requirements of this Constitution.

Section 7: Committees

• 7.1) The enumerated authorities set forth in this Section 7 shall be given to the standing Committees set forth herein. In this respect, the authority of any given Committee with respect to the matters set forth shall be superior to the authority of the Leader or any individual Legionnaire.
  
  
• 7.2) In addition to the standing Committees, ad hoc Committees may be composed and charged with specific responsibilities from time to time by the Leader or by vote of the active membership.
  
  
• 7.3) The standing Committee on Constitutional Matters shall have the final authority to rule on all matters of interpretation of this Constitution, to draft amendments and/or revisions of this Constitution at the voted direction of the active membership, and with respect to all elections and to the Leadership itself. This shall include authority to call and preside over a court-martial of the Leader, as provided in Section 6.7 above. In addition, this Committee shall arrange for the keeping of an appropriate history of the Legion of Super-Heroes and all archival files and shall designate the flag, handshake, oaths, and other indicia of the organization.
  
  
• 7.4) The standing Committee on Constitutional Matters shall also have the authority to disband the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  
  
• 7.5) All rulings of the Committee on Constitutional Matters shall be by majority vote, except the ruling to call a court-martial of the Leader or to dissolve the Legion of Super-Heroes, which must be unanimous. All rulings of this Committee shall be binding upon the Leader and the membership.
  
  
• 7.6) For the duration of their membership, whether as active, honorary, or reserve members, the standing Committee on Constitutional Matters shall consist of Cosmic Boy (chair), Live Wire, and Saturn Girl. In the event of the incapacity, resignation, or expulsion of one or more members, the Legionnaire or Legionnaires of greatest seniority shall replace them, with the most senior member of the Committee serving as chair.
  
  
• 7.7) The standing Committee on Membership shall have the responsibility for maintaining an active search for suitable candidates for membership, for making recommendations to the membership concerning candidates, and for supervising the ongoing education and training of all Legionnaires.
  
  
• 7.8) All rulings and recommendations of the standing Committee on Membership shall be made by majority vote of the Committee, and with respect to the education or training of individual members, shall be binding upon such members.
  
  
• 7.9) Until such time as otherwise designated under Sections 8.2 and 8.3 hereunder, the standing Committee on Membership shall be chaired by the acting Leader and shall consist of not more than three additional members as may be elected from time to time by the active membership under Section 8.6 hereunder.
  
  
• 7.10) The standing Committee on Security shall also serve as the Espionage Squad, being composed of those active members whose super-powers are most suitable, and shall have the general responsibility for assisting the Leader in maintaining the security of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  
  
• 7.11) For the duration of their active membership, the standing Committee on Security shall consist of Invisible Kid (permanent Leader), Apparition, Chameleon, Leviathan [Violet], and Triad. In the event of the incapacity, resignation, or expulsion of one or more of the Committee, the active membership shall elect a successor or successors under the provisions of Section 8.6 hereunder, considering the suitability of their super-powers and characters.

Section 8: Voting

• 8.1) The active membership shall alone hold voting privileges.
  
  
• 8.2) The active membership shall be required to vote on significant questions including but not limited to:
  
  • the method of selecting the Leader;
    
  • the designation of standing or ad hoc Committees and their chairpersons;
    
  • revision of the Constitution;
    
  • admission of new members;
    
  • expulsion of present members;
  
  but not on matters explicitly under the Leader’s discretion or matters explicitly under the discretion of a standing or ad hoc Committee under Section 7 hereof.
  
  
• 8.3) For all such votes, a quorum of three-fourths of the active members shall be required to participate either in person or via telecommunications. The quorum being determined to be sufficient, a vote of two-thirds of members participating is thereafter required to carry the question. In the event of a tie or vote insufficient to carry the question, the status quo ante shall prevail.
  
  
• 8.4) Unless the question shall be put to a vote of the active membership and carried otherwise for that year, the Leader shall be elected by a simple plurality of active members voting, with the Legionnaire receiving the second-largest number of votes being elected Deputy Leader.
  
  
• 8.5) Unless the question shall be put to a vote of the active membership and carried otherwise, all Committees shall make their determinations by a simple majority of Committee members voting, with ties broken by the chair, except as otherwise explicitly prohibited herein.
  
  
• 8.6) All other questions shall be decided by a simple majority of the active membership.

NOTES:
Initial version (excerpts only)
Although a version of the Constitution was eventually published in full, excerpts from an earlier version - created by the founders, Leviathan and Invisible Kid - have been given, which are either absent or changed in the published version, as follows:

A clause “encouraging a diversity of powers among the membership” (Lgs37) was apparently dropped completely.
Bye-laws (excerpts only)
Bye-laws include(d) (all from Lgs53):

New Legionnaires shall be voted in by a majority of the current team after reasoned and thorough debate

Every Legionnaire will be assigned room(s) accommodating their individual taste and needs.

Monitor Duty: All Legionnaires shall familiarize themselves with basic communications systems and be prepared to stand monitor duty…