Senators appeal to ACJC

In a practically unprecedented move, the All-Campus Judicial Council will reconsider their ruling about the contested Class of 2006 senate seat. Junior Princy Thottathil won one of the two Class of 2006 senate seats when it was up for election in September, but junior Joe Cala argued before the ACJC it should not have been put up for reelection. On Oct. 4, the ACJC ruled in Cala’s favor. However, in response to a request by Thottathil and by senior and Speaker of the Senate Tom Hayes, ACJC agreed to hear a de facto appeal. There is no appellate court for ACJC, but hearing Thottathil’s complaint will amount to an appeal. “Ms. Thottahil was not one of the two initial parties involved in the matter, so this will be considered a new case, Thottahil v. Iseminger, where Chief Justice Iseminger will take on the role of arguing for ACJC’s position, as laid out in the decision of Cala v. Senate,” senior and Associate Chief Justice Erin Fraser said. Junior Nat Powell held a Students’ Association Senate seat representing the Class of 2006, but he gave it up at the end of last semester to study abroad. The SA bylaws state how such a vacancy should be filled. Article 1, Section 1 reads, “Vacant seats shall be filled by the person who received the next highest number of votes in the Senator’s election.” However, in the elections beginning September 23, the Senate Elections Committee Asked to comment on the problem with his former Senate seat, Powell just laughed. “You’d think they’d read the constitution they’re trying to change,” he said. “Or didn’t they realize that?”