The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) student judiciary dismissed spring chair candidate and current Rep. Michael Harry’s second petitioner’s brief on Sept. 29 which called for ASM to consider alleged procedural violations from during and after this spring’s chair election.
The brief, filed on Sept. 22, is Harry’s second brief calling for the student judiciary to consider procedural violations, this time alleging the student judiciary mishandled its order on his first brief and the Chief Justice misapplied rules during proceedings.
ASM representatives voted by a close margin not to adopt the special order considering Harry’s first brief, a vote which required a two-thirds majority, at the Sept. 16 student council meeting. A majority of representatives voted in favor of adopting the special order. If the motion had passed, it could have allowed representatives to re-elect their 33rd session chair by a simple majority vote.
Harry’s second brief claimed making discussion of the first brief a special order requiring a two-thirds majority had no precedent.
A majority of student justices recused themselves from the brief decision, including Chief Justice Chloe Sieman, whose recusal Harry requested. As a result of the recusals, the student judiciary did not assign a full panel, according to the dismissal notice.
Harry lost the April 24th election for 33rd session chair. He claimed the election results were invalid in a petitioner's brief sent to the Student Judiciary on April 30. He amended his first petitioner’s brief Sept. 14 to include additional information and a request to disqualify alleged violators from future chair elections.
“The Student Judiciary’s decision gives me hope for the remainder of the 33rd session, and I hope it serves as an opportunity for us to work more collaboratively and move forward in greater unity,” ASM Chair Haia Al Zein said in a statement to The Daily Cardinal.
In the brief, Harry said meeting rules were violated during the election and the Chief Justice did not preside. The Student Judiciary released an order on Sept. 8 to allow discussion of Harry’s brief as a special order during the Sept. 16 meeting, modified from an earlier version of the order issued April 30.
Sieman, Harry and the student judiciary declined further comment on the brief.
Sonia Bendre is the campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal. You can reach her at sonia.bendre@dailycardinal.com.
