No ruling made on SA petition

By Michael Berg

No ruling was made on a petition that could have nullified the Student Association executive elections Friday.

The petition, sponsored by Nolen Hendreson, said a poll worker at Founders Memorial Library was telling voters SA presidential candidate Maurice Thomas was disqualified from the election “before the decision was justified or final.”

SA Supreme Court Justice Matt Wetstein said the court did not rule on the petition because “it did not contain substantial new information.”

Wetstein said the court could rule only on an appeal based on a decision made by the SA Elections Committee. However, SA Public Relations Adviser Rebecca Bahr said Wednesday that according to SA bylaws, the elections committee is “only allowed to rule on sanctions against candidates.”

The court issued a statement that said it would no longer hear cases concerning the election unless they contain new and valid information, justice Jacqueline Koth said.

“We’re getting near the end of the semester,” Koth said. If someone with new and valid information, they have to do it now so it can be ruled on while elections still could be held, she said.

“We have already heard redundant opinions,” Chief Justice John Stack said. “The court is not a pinata. You can’t keep going up and hitting it until it breaks.”

In other business, a petition that was ruled on struck down part of the SA’s constitution. The petition said two Duke and one about the geese, contained statements that were not factual. The court said the subsection in the SA constitution which states that resolutions have to be entirely factual is unconstitutional.

According to the decision, “By its definition, a resolution is a statement of opinion.”

Campaigning on Huskie buses still is against SA rules. The court came to a 2-2 deadlock on the petition which said the rule is against a person’s First Amendment rights, so the bylaw stands, Stack said.

The court met in closed session.