It’s been a quiet semester for the Student Association Supreme Court.

The justices tackled only one issue this semester, said Thomas Gary, SA Supreme Court Chief Justice. The court approved the wording on the Illinois Student Association referendum and advised the senate to get signatures from 5 percent of the students before bringing the referendum up for senate approval.

Under the SA bylaws, the court can act only when an issue is brought to it.

Other than the referendum, the senate has had a slow semester. “I’m not sure whether it’s because everyone is following the law, everyone is breaking the law, or no one knows the law,” Gary said.

However, Gary doesn’t see a problem with being slow, because people handling problems between themselves cuts down on judicial bureaucracy.

“It’s better that legislators deal with legislative problems in the legislative branch and executives deal with executives in the executive branch instead of settling them with a third party,” Gary said.

“If people think the senate has done anything unconstitutional or if people think the executives have done something unconstitutional, they should consult the supreme court to see if in fact they did do something unconstitutional, he said.

Even though it is slow now, Gary said it is hard to say what lies ahead for the supreme court next semester. But if more students think they have been wronged and come to the court with their complaints, there will be more work, he said.

However, Gary doesn’t foresee much work because there is not too much the court can do legally. The court has no authoritative power. It can only be an advisory court, he said.

The court is obligated to meet every time someone files a complaint. But when the court is not working on a case, the justices meet once a month to keep abreast of senate/executive action. This way justices are prepared if something does come up, Gary said.