During the Monday, March 18 ASNMU meeting, one ASNMU Judiciary (ASNMUJ) member was approved by the assembly. This makes Leah Blanchard the first member of the ASNMUJ to be approved by the assembly in two semesters.
It should be noted that one judiciary member is not enough for ASNMUJ to be a functioning entity.
Article IV, Section 2 of the ASNMU Constitution states “the ASNMU judiciary shall consist of five members,” and Section 4, Subsection A states “A quorum consisting of a majority of the ASNMUJ members shall be necessary to conduct all formal business.”
Stanley feels the aforementioned section of the constitution allows for the judiciary to function with only one member. When it was brought to his attention that more than one member is needed for a complete judiciary, Stanley disagreed.
“Interpretation is up to the judiciary. That is why [the lack of a judiciary] has been so troublesome.”
Stanley’s circular logic — that only the judiciary can interpret the constitution, even in the absence of a judiciary board — does not provide a reliable solution to a problem that still exists: there is no judiciary should problems arise during the elections process.
If a candidate were to violate the election rules or ethics, then it would be up to the Elections Committee to decide the validity of the complaint. If said candidate were to appeal the Elections Committee’s decision, it would go to ASNMUJ to decide. Without a judiciary, there is no consequence for breaking the rules.
In the next week, ASNMU needs to continue looking for viable candidates for the open judiciary positions. Students who are interested in interpreting the ASNMU Constitution for the betterment of student government should contact Stanley.
Elections are coming fast: NMU students need a full government in order to execute a successful election.
At the rate it took the general assembly to approve one ASNMUJ nominee, it could be another year before someone else is added to the judiciary board.
It comes down to one simple truth: student government is not a Meatloaf ballad, and two out of three is bad. ASNMU needs to get moving like a bat outta hell.
