Student court drops final appeal in ASM chair election dispute

Haia Al Zein retains the chairmanship of the Associated Students of Madison after the student judiciary dismissed the final legal challenge to her election. The body rejected a second petitioner's brief filed by Rep. Michael Harry, a candidate in the April 24 vote.

Harry filed the initial brief on April 30, arguing that the election results were invalid due to procedural errors. He amended that filing on Sept. 14 to request that alleged violators be barred from future chair races. His second brief, submitted on Sept. 22, alleged that the judiciary mishandled the first filing and that Chief Justice Chloe Sieman misapplied rules during the proceedings.

The core of the dispute involves the Sept. 16 student council meeting. Representatives voted on whether to adopt a special order to discuss Harry's first brief. The motion required a two-thirds majority to pass. While a majority of representatives voted in favor, the count did not reach the required threshold. Had the motion passed, the council could have re-elected the chair for the 33rd session via a simple majority vote.

Harry argued in his second brief that the two-thirds requirement lacked precedent. The student judiciary issued an order on Sept. 8 permitting the first brief to be discussed as a special order, modifying an earlier version from April 30. Harry claimed that meeting rules were broken during the original election and that the Chief Justice did not preside.

The dismissal notice indicated that a majority of student justices recused themselves from the decision. This included Chief Justice Sieman, whose recusal Harry had requested. Because of these recusals, the judiciary did not assign a full panel to hear the second brief.

Al Zein responded to the decision in a statement to The Daily Cardinal. "The Student Judiciary's decision gives me hope for the remainder of the 33rd session, and I hope it serves as an opportunity for us to work more collaboratively and move forward in greater unity," she said. Sieman, Harry, and the student judiciary declined to provide further comment.

The dismissal concludes the legal proceedings regarding the April 24 election for the 33rd session chair. Al Zein remains in office with the support of the current student council, having survived two separate briefs challenging the validity of her victory.