Madison Student Court Drops Second Bid to Unseat ASM Chair

The Associated Students of Madison student judiciary dismissed the final legal challenge to the current chair election on Sept. 29. This decision ends the dispute over the April 24 vote for the 33rd session leader.

Rep. Michael Harry, who ran against incumbent Haia Al Zein in the spring election, filed the second brief on Sept. 22. He argued that the court mishandled his initial petition and that Chief Justice Chloe Sieman misapplied rules during earlier proceedings. Harry had originally filed his first petition on April 30, claiming that meeting rules were broken during the election and that the Chief Justice did not preside.

The timeline of the dispute involves several key procedural steps. On Sept. 8, the judiciary issued an order allowing Harry’s first brief to be discussed as a special order at the Sept. 16 student council meeting. This order modified a previous version from April 30. Harry had also amended his first brief on Sept. 14 to request that alleged violators be disqualified from future chair elections.

The fate of the first brief hinged on a specific voting requirement. At the Sept. 16 meeting, ASM representatives voted against adopting the special order. A two-thirds majority was required to pass the motion. While a simple majority voted in favor, the count fell short of the necessary threshold. Had the motion passed, the body could have re-elected the chair by a simple majority. Harry’s second brief claimed that requiring a two-thirds vote for this procedure lacked precedent.

When the judiciary reviewed the second brief, a majority of student justices recused themselves from the decision. This group included Chief Justice Sieman, whose recusal Harry had previously requested. Because so many justices stepped aside, the court did not assign a full panel to hear the case.

ASM Chair Haia Al Zein responded to the dismissal in a statement released to The Daily Cardinal. She said the decision provides hope for the rest of the 33rd session and offers a chance for the student body to work more collaboratively. Sieman, Harry, and the student judiciary declined to provide further comment on the final ruling.

The dismissal stands as the final word on the election dispute. No further appeals are pending before the student judiciary regarding the April 24 vote. The 33rd session will continue under the leadership of Al Zein for the remainder of the term.