ASM Student Judiciary failed to muster a full majority to impeach Chief Justice Jana Kraschnewski Tuesday night, and the motion failed after a bitter debate and verbal barbs thrown by both sides.
Kraschnewski recently came under fire within the judiciary for appointing her sister, another justice on Student Judiciary and an editor at The Badger Herald, onto a board to oversee a recent decision. Kraschnewski defended her act, saying she appointed her sister only after a previously appointed justice was unable to sit on the panel due to a personal emergency.
Sunday, the three-member panel heard a case questioning the propriety of the way ASM representatives had gathered signatures for an opt-out referendum on the current student government ballot.
The chief justice said the two other justices were involved with petitions dealing with the case, presenting a conflict to their impartiality. Instead, Jana Kraschnewski put the conflict on her own shoulders by appointing her sister Julia.
The court retained the chief justice by a 3-2 ruling for her removal with one justice abstaining during Tuesday’s meeting. An impeachment motion requires four of the six justices to vote for removal.
The meeting lasted just over an hour, and the agenda never strayed far from Vice Chief Justice Jordan Green’s movement to remove Chief Justice Kraschnewski.
An open forum let spectators speak in favor of Kraschnewski or for her removal. The open floor allowed 11 consecutive speakers to testify in Kraschnewski’s favor, followed by one man who pounded on the table calling for her removal.
Joe Hiegel, who spoke on Kraschnewski’s behalf, told the audience she represents a body of reason, and the court would be doing a great disservice to ASM and to the 40,000 students at University of Wisconsin if they decided to remove her. Hiegel, who brought several issues to the court for decision, suggested he was not speaking from prejudice by saying Kraschnewski had voted against him more times than not.
At least one other person present who spoke on Kraschnewski’s behalf also admitted that she did not always vote in her favor, but she represented impartiality and fairness. Once Julia Kraschnewski was confirmed on the court, it seemed inevitable the chief justice would appoint her to a panel eventually.
After all the non-members of the court spoke, Kraschnewski made a three-minute address in her defense.
She implored the other justices not to remove her. Her final plea, “I’d like to keep my job,” met with applause and even brought five people to their feet.
Next, the court opened discussion among the six justices, and Green told the court his motion to remove Kraschnewski was “professional” as opposed to personal.
The justices made cases for or against Kraschnewski’s removal, at times resembling bickering high school students. At the end, an exhausted Green said, “I don’t really care (about the result of this decision) at this point.”
After a quick recess, the court reconvened and decided to keep Kraschnewski as chief justice.
The chief justice showed a brief smile, then returned to her professional demeanor.
“I have done everything to maintain integrity and fairness to this court,” Kraschnewski said. “It hurts me a lot to know that three of my justices want me off the court.”
Green, looking somewhat frustrated, refused to comment to the media.
Julia Kraschnewski has told The Badger Herald she will resign her seat on Student Judiciary following the opt-out signature decision, in order to save the newspaper its own conflict of interest.