ASUNM court wants to make government more accessible

Editor,

In my year and a half on the ASUNM Student Court, we have not heard a single case. This isn’t to say that we’ve done nothing in this time. The court has provided legislative recommendations that helped make the Senator Accountability Code function more equitably and smoothly. We’ve held mock trials that have trained the attorney general and members of the Steering and Rules Committee in court procedure, and I’ve sat upon a number of advisory panels.

We’re working on digitizing our records and putting at least a summary of past decisions online. Unfortunately, the court does not exist simply to hold mock trials.

If you don’t know what the student court is (and don’t worry, most people don’t), it is the third branch of the undergraduate student government, along with the ASUNM President and Student Senate.

The court is responsible for resolving disputes that arise under ASUNM’s constitution and bylaws. This includes everything from examining how the Senate disperses money to reviewing decisions made by the Elections Commission.

This is a broad mandate, and the court could play a critical role in keeping student government accountable and fair. But here is the problem: the court is, fundamentally, a reactive body. For us to take action, somebody has to bring suit to the court. We can’t move on our own.

Nobody has done this in about a year and a half. This means that one-third of the undergraduate student government is not fulfilling its purpose.

I am not encouraging students to sue willy-nilly, and I am certainly not alleging that the other branches of ASUNM have committed any actionable wrongdoing. I’m writing this letter because I believe that most people simply don’t know that they have a resource in the court.

When people think that they have no check on the actions of their government, they become disenchanted with and withdrawn from the political process. I think that we need to change this.
To this end, I and my fellow justices are working to make the court more accessible. The Rules of Procedure should be up on the ASUNM website soon, as well as summaries of at least a few previous decisions.

Each court member has to spend at least two hours at the ASUNM Office in the SUB per week. Feel free to drop in during any of these times if you have questions about the court. Our hours are posted by the front desk in the office.

Van Snow
ASUNM Student Court Chief Justice