The handful of ASM members accused of procedural impropriety will be tried at a panel hearing, most likely next week, Student Judiciary decided Tuesday.
Joe Laskowski and Josh Orton submitted a complaint at the judiciary meeting Tuesday night accusing at least 14 elected representatives or campaign chairs — all connected with Badger Party — of illegally collecting signatures and some other offenses. Despite disputes about jurisdiction and confusion over which defendants should be named and how many, Student Judiciary voted 3-1 to accept the complaint, with one justice absent.
Joe Hiegel, speaking on behalf of the defendants, argued the complaint does not address any specific ASM bylaws and said the alleged offenses do not fall within Student Judiciary’s jurisdiction. He also questioned the complaint’s timeliness, since the elections committee has not yet approved the signatures.
“Student Judiciary kind of suspended the rules of procedure tonight,” Hiegel said.
According to the complainants, Badger Party violated UW policy by canvassing in residence halls and campus libraries. Badger Party is trying to collect enough signatures so a referendum for an opt-out segregated-fees system can appear on the April 7 ASM ballots.
Laskowski said the complaint is necessary without the signatures’ approval so Judiciary can complete its process before the elections.
Former Chief Justice Adam Goldstein, who was visiting the meeting, backed the complainants, saying the expedient process was necessary in the name of “justice.”
Orton and Laskowski claimed they have evidence in the form of videotapes, photographs, documents and student statements that the accused Badger Party members illegally acquired signatures.
They say the petitioners bothered students at libraries and in some cases duped students into signing forms marked for a referendum for 24-hour libraries. Laskowski said some of the signatures appeared forged or altered.
UW libraries do not have a campus policy about soliciting in libraries. But the complainants say residence halls do and suggest UW System policy reinforces it.
After the meeting, Heigel doubted whether the complainants possessed such evidence and said he will ask the three-justice panel to dismiss the case at a pretrial motion.
If it goes to hearing, Orton requested the defendants face punitive action within ASM and potential non-academic misconduct hearings by the dean of students. The panel can also strike the referendum from ballots — if the elections committee approves enough signatures in the first place.
Student Judiciary gave Orton and Laskowski until 10 p.m. Tuesday to finalize their list of defendants, which was incomplete at the meeting. Laskowski said the final list had more, not less, than the original 14 defendants.
“We added everyone who we had evidence they collected signatures,” Laskowski said.
Chief Justice Jana Kraschnewski appointed Jordan Green, Asia Mitchell and Marissa Courey — the same justices who voted to accept the hearing — to the panel. Both defendants and complainants claim to have “no doubt” their side will win the case.
