TITLE VIII
JUDICIARY
Article 1Supreme Court Membership and Duties
1.1The Supreme Court shall consist of five Justices nominated by the President and approved by Legislative Body, one of whom shall be selected by the other justices to serve as Chief Justice on a semester basis.
1.2No Executive officer or subordinate, Senator, Association employee, or titled College Council officer shall simultaneously serve as a justice.
1.3The Court shall apportion operational responsibilities among its membership as necessary.
1.4The Court shall have the sole responsibility for all non-election complaints and for deciding all election protest appeals and such other responsibilities as may be provided elsewhere in the Bylaws or in the ASASU Constitution.
Article 2Elections Commission Membership and Duties
2.1The Elections Commission shall consist of three Commissioners.
2.2At lease ninety [90] days prior to any ASASU election in which an Elections
Commission has not been previously established[1], the USG President shall send six
nominees to the USG Senate for action.
- Each nominee shall be interviewed by the USG Senate GovernmentOperations Committee which shall then select three of the candidates and forward their nominations to the USG Senate body where they shall be approved on a favorable vote of two-thirds (⅔) of the members. (revised 03-02-04; SB 48)
2.3No executive officer or subordinate, senator, Association employee, or titled College Council member shall simultaneously serve as a Commissioner, nor shall any candidate for any executive, senatorial, or College Council office.
2.4The Commission shall apportion operational responsibilities among its membership as necessary.
2.5The Elections Commission shall serve solely as the court of original jurisdiction in all election Protests.
2.6The Elections Commission shall always hold open public hearings on every Protest, shall record all hearings and shall send to the USG Senate Government Operations Committee copies of all opinions and orders issued.
Article 3Supreme Court Jurisdiction
3.1The Court shall have jurisdiction over all disputes arising under the ASASU Constitution or Bylaws of the Association and it shall have appellate jurisdiction over the Elections Commission.
A.Such original jurisdiction extends to the actions of Executive officers, their subordinates, the Senate as a body, the Coordinating Board as a body, and the College Councils as entities.
B.Such original jurisdiction does not extend to individuals where the issue arose from the action of a legislative or executive body, rather than from an action of an individual in their personal capacity.
C.Such original jurisdiction does not extend to the Rules of the Senate, of which the USG Senate is the sole judge, nor shall the USG Senate be enjoined or restrained from taking, or ordered or otherwise compelled to take, any form of actions.
D.Such original jurisdiction does not extend to Association members if any disputed action was outside the scope of the member’s duties to the Association.
3.2The Court shall determine jurisdiction by majority vote upon the receipt of a Complaint, a request for an Advisory Opinion, or a Protest Appeal.
A.If the Court determines that it does not have jurisdiction over a dispute brought before it, the Court shall issue a written order stating why.
3.3The Court has exclusive jurisdiction over interpretation of the Rules of Court.
Article 4Elections Commission Jurisdiction
4.1The Elections Commission shall have original jurisdiction over all Election Protests.
Article 5Supreme Court Remedies
5.1The Supreme Court may, as a remedy, issue a Temporary Restraining Order upon petition, which, if granted, will place all parties in the status quo ante.
A.The Court shall issue a Temporary Restraining Order only after reviewing the petition in light of the following criteria:
1.Whether the Petitioner has a strong or substantial likelihood of success on the merits.
2.Whether the Petitioner has shown that they will suffer an irreparable injury if the petition is not granted.
3.Whether the issuance of the Order will cause substantial harm to non-parties.
4.Whether the Petitioner will suffer greater harm from denial of the petition than the opponent will suffer if the petition is granted.
5.Whether Association interests will be served by issuing the Order.
B.A Temporary Restraining Order shall not exceed five days in duration. The decision to issue shall be made via an ex parte vote of Justices present and voting. Decisions shall be made and issued within one day of receipt of petition.
C.The Supreme Court shall not issue Temporary Restraining Orders which restrains persons or entities who are not Plaintiffs or Defendants in the matter before the Supreme Court, nor shall the Supreme court order the joinder of any person or entity either solely or partially in order to gain the power to issue a Temporary Restraining Order against them.
- This section shall not be construed to prevent the Supreme Court from issuing a Temporary Restraining Order against the Elections Commission.
5.2Supreme Court may, as a remedy, use the general power of equitable relief to permanently enjoin parties from actions violative of Association Policies, Bylaws or the ASASU Constitution.
A.Any Injunction so issued shall be embodied in a written, published order and shall explicitly detail actions dealt with and all parties covered by such an order.
B.This section shall not be construed to allow the Supreme Court any other equitable powers not specifically granted by these Bylaws.
C.The Supreme Court shall not enjoin persons or entities who are not Plaintiffs or Defendants in the matter before the Supreme Court, not shall the Supreme Court order the joinder of any person or entity either solely or partially in order to gain the power to enjoin them.
1.This section shall not be construed to prevent the Supreme Court from enjoining the activities of the Elections Commission.
5.3The Supreme Court, may, as a remedy, use the general power of equitable relief to issue an Order for Specific Performance.
A.The Supreme Court shall state in the Order explicitly those Plaintiffs or Defendants affected by the Order and what action is required of them.
B.This section shall not be construed to allow the Supreme Court any other equitable powers not specifically granted by these Bylaws.
C.The Supreme court shall not issue any Order for Specific Performance to any persons or entities who are not Plaintiffs or Defendants in the matter before the Supreme Court, nor shall the Supreme Court order the joinder of any person or entity either solely or partially in order to gain the power to issue them an Order for Specific Performance.
1.This section shall not be construed to prevent the Supreme Court from issuing an Order for Specific Performance to the Elections Commission.
5.4The Supreme Court may, as a remedy in a Protest Appeal, apply any of the penalties enumerated in the Election Code.
Article 6:Elections Commission Remedies
6.1The Election Commission is a Court of Law and as such has no remedial powers apart from those Penalties specifically enumerated within the Election Code.
Article 7:Rules of Court
7.1The Supreme Court shall draft the Rules of Court which shall include two Titles, the first specifying the operational procedures of the Supreme Court and the second specifying the operational procedures of the Elections Commission.
7.2The Rules of Court shall become effective upon approval by ⅔ of the USG Senate, which shall have the power to approve, to amend, or to reject the draft. The Rules of Court shall be passed upon approval and shall become effective before August 31.
7.3The Supreme Court may draft such amendments to the Rules of Court as from time to time may be deemed necessary.
7.4An amendment shall become effective upon approval by ⅔ of the USG Senate, which shall have the power to approve, to amend, or to reject the amendment.
Article 8:Standing Doctrine
8.1Plaintiffs in all Supreme Court and Elections Commission actions shall allege with specificity what injury they personally have suffered or will suffer as a result of the Defendant’s actions.
8.2Those Complaints or Protests failing to allege a personal injury with specificity shall be dismissed with Prejudice.
8.3Complaints or Protests dismissed with Prejudice shall not be reinstated, nor shall any Complaint or Protest arising from the same transaction or occurrence be filed, absent a specific demonstration of injury and overwhelming public interest and a strong likelihood of success on the merits.
8.4Any member of the Association, complying with the preceding conditions, shall be permitted to file a Complaint.
8.5Any member of the Association, complying with the preceding conditions and any additional requirements specified in the Election Code, shall be permitted to file a Protest.
Article 9:Records
9.1All decisions and Opinions of the Supreme Court and the Elections Commission shall be rendered in writing, posted, and bound into the ASASU Reports.
Article 10:Court Terms
10.1The Supreme Court Term shall run from August 1 to July 31, to be subdivided into a Fall Sitting and a Spring Sitting.
10.2The Elections Commission Term shall run from January 1 to May 31.
Article 11:Removal
11.1Supreme Court members shall be removed through the normal Impeachment process.
11.2Elections Commission members shall be removed through the normal procedures for removing the Election Director.
Article 12:Effective Years
12.1This title applies only to years that the USG has appointment power over the ASASU Supreme Court as stated in the ASASU Constitution.
REVISED: MAY 22, 2003 - 1 - ITLE VIII: JUDICIARY
[1]Amended 05-04-04 USG Senate Bill 74