Bill of rights

48 U.S.C. § 1421b

• Title: 48 — Territories and Insular Possessions
• Chapter: SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL PROVISIONS

Text

(a) No law shall be enacted in Guam respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of their grievances.
(b) No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
(c) The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrant for arrest or search shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the person or things to be seized.
(d) No person shall be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of punishment; nor shall he be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.
(e) No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
(f) Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.
(g) In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial; to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and to have a copy thereof; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
(h) Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
(i) Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in Guam.
(j) No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be enacted.
(k) No person shall be imprisoned for debt.
(l) The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless, when in cases of rebellion or invasion or imminent danger thereof, the public safety shall require it.
(m) No qualification with respect to property, income, political opinion, or any other matter apart from citizenship, civil capacity, and residence shall be imposed upon any voter.
(n) No discrimination shall be made in Guam against any person on account of race, language, or religion, nor shall the equal protection of the laws be denied.
(o) No person shall be convicted of treason against the United States unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
(p) No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, supplied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or association, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary as such.
(q) The employment of children under the age of fourteen years in any occupation injurious to health or morals or hazardous to life or limb is hereby prohibited.
(r) There shall be compulsory education for all children, between the ages of six and sixteen years.
(s) No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the government of Guam.
(t) No person who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party, organization, or association which advocates, the overthrow by force or violence of the government of Guam or of the United States shall be qualified to hold any public office of trust or profit under the government of Guam.
(u) The following provisions of and amendments to the Constitution of the United States are hereby extended to Guam to the extent that they have not been previously extended to that territory and shall have the same force and effect there as in the United States or in any State of the United States: article I, section 9, clauses 2 and 3; article IV, section 1 and section 2, clause 1; the first to ninth amendments inclusive; the thirteenth amendment; the second sentence of section 1 of the fourteenth amendment; and the fifteenth and nineteenth amendments.
All laws enacted by Congress with respect to Guam and all laws enacted by the territorial legislature of Guam which are inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection are repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

History

(Aug. 1, 1950, ch. 512, §5, 64 Stat. 385; Pub. L. 90–497, §10, Sept. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 847.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments
1968—Subsec. (u). Pub. L. 90–497 added subsec. (u).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1968 Amendment
Pub. L. 90–497, §10, Sept. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 847, provided that the amendment made by that section is effective on date of enactment of Pub. L. 90–497, which was approved Sept. 11, 1968.