Sec. 11. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws
of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall,
because of race, color, creed or religion, be subjected to
any discrimination in his civil rights by any other person
or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state
or any agency or subdivision of the state. (New. Adopted
by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of
the people November 8, 1938.)
Sec. 12. 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 warrants shall
issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or af-
firmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the person or things to be seized. The right
of the people to be secure against unreasonable interception
of telephone and telegraph communications shall not be vio-
lated, and ex parte orders or warrants shall issue only upon
oath or affirmation that there is reasonable ground to be-
lieve that evidence of crime may be thus obtained, and iden-
tifying the particular means of communication, and particu-
larly describing the person or persons whose communications
are to be intercepted and the purpose thereof. (New. Adopt-
ed by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote
of the people November 8,1938
Sec. 13 dealt with the purchase of lands of Indians was repealed by
amendment approved by vote of the people November 6, 1962.)
Sec. 14. Such parts of the common law, and of the acts of the legis-
lature of the colony of New York, as together did form the
law of the said colony, on the nineteenth day of April, one
thousand seven hundred seventy-five, and the resolutions of
the congress of the said colony, and of the convention of
the State of New York, in force on the twentieth day of
April, one thousand seven hundred seventy-seven, which have
not since expired, or been repealed or altered; and such
acts of the legislature of this state as are now in force,
shall be and continue the law of this state, subject to such
alterations as the legislature shall make concerning the
same. But all such parts of the common law, and such of the
said acts, or parts thereof, as are repugnant to this
constitution, are hereby abrogated.
Sec. 16. (Renumbered and amended by Constitutional Convention of 1938
and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938.)
Sec. 15 dealt with certain grants of lands and of charters made by
the king of Great Britain and the state and obligations and
contracts not to be impaired was repealed by amendment
approved by vote of the people November 6, 1962.)
Sec. 16. The right of action now existing to recover damages for in-
juries resulting in death, shall never be abrogated; and the
amount recoverable shall not be subject to any statutory
limitation. (Formerly Sec. 18. Renumbered by Constitu-
tional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people
November 8, 1938.)
Sec. 17. Labor of human beings is not a commodity nor an article of
commerce and shall never be so considered or construed. No
laborer, workman or mechanic, in the employ of a contractor
or subcontractor engaged in the performance of any public
work, shall be permitted to work more than eight hours in
any day or more than five days in any week, except in cases
of extraordinary emergency; nor shall he be paid less than
the rate of wages prevailing in the same trade or occupation
in the locality within the state where such public work is
to be situated, erected or used. Employees shall have the
right to organize and to bargain collectively through
representatives of their own choosing. (New. Adopted by
Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of
the people November 8, 1938.)
Sec. 18. Nothing contained in this constitution shall be construed to
limit the power of the legislature to enact laws for the
protection of the lives, health, or safety of employees; or
for the payment, either by employers, or by employers and
employees or otherwise, either directly or through a state
or other system of insurance or otherwise, of compensation
for injuries to employees or for death of employees result-
ing from such injuries without regard to fault as a cause
thereof, except where the injury is occasioned by the will-
ful intention of the injured employee to bring about the
injury or death of himself or of another, or where the in-
jury results solely from the intoxication of the injured
employee while on duty; or for the adjustment, determination
and settlement, with or without trial by jury, of issues
which may arise under such legislation; or to provide that
the right of such compensation, and the remedy therefor
shall be exclusive of all other rights and remedies for in-
juries to employees or for death resulting from such injur-
ies; or to provide that the amount of such compensation for
death shall not exceed a fixed or determinable sum; provided
that all moneys paid by an employer to his employees or
their legal representatives, by reason of the enactment of
any of the laws herein authorized, shall be held to be a
proper charge in the cost of operating the business of the
employer. (Formerly Sec. 19. Renumbered by Constitutional
Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people
November 8, 1938.)