The Undergraduate Students Association Council’s Judicial
Board announced it will consider a suit filed by former
presidential candidate Josh Lawson Wednesday night.
The J-board representatives said they believed the case against
the USAC elections board fell under their jurisdiction. After
losing the race for president of the undergraduate government,
former candidate Josh Lawson filed a case against the elections
board alleging unfair treatment during the elections.
In a case filed last Monday, Lawson asserts that the Elections
Board was inconsistent in the application of the elections code by
administering sanctions unfairly.
The problem is that candidates running with the Equal Access
Coalition received sanctions for infractions that Students First!
candidates did not, Lawson said.
The J-board will hear arguments from both sides ““ Lawson
and the Elections Board ““ on Tuesday evening and rule on the
case. If it finds that the Elections Board dealt unfairly with
Equal Access Coalition candidates, it will also be up to the
jurisdiction of the J-board to determine equitable compensation,
said Mark Belgen, chief justice of the J-board.
Lawson has not asked for any particular compensation and has
left that decision to the discretion of the board.
The most extreme ruling will be overturning the runoff election
results, Belgen said, adding that this was not a likely
occurrence.
Belgen called the case “exceptional” as it could
potentially overrule the elections, which would nullify the work
the new council has begun this year.
Roy Samaan, chairman of the Elections Board, says cancelling the
runoffs and calling for a new election would be infeasible.
“They have the authority to do that, but it would be
catastrophic” Samaan said, explaining that if the elections
were cancelled, they could not be held again until fall 2004.