Student government’s Constitution Court elected a new chief justice Friday after Tony McCown stepped down from the position because of complications with his stipend.
McCown, a law school student who is on a full-ride scholarship, sent in his letter of resignation after discovering that he’s actually paying to be on the court. His $175 stipend, which is paid with incidental fees, deducts from his scholarship.
“I just didn’t have time to do it free,” McCown said.
The four other Court justices met Friday and unanimously elected Brigid Turner to replace McCown.
McCown wrote in his letter of resignation that “the struggles of a non-traditional student with a family require me to seek other opportunities for income.”
Turner and two other justices are graduating in or before June, and Justice Charlotte Nisser said she was not in a position to take the responsibility. Nisser is also the general manager of University radio station KWVA 88.1 FM. She will help Turner edit the court’s decisions and Turner promised to give $25 of her $175 stipend to Nisser, who currently receives $125 a month.
“I was stoked to have Tony on board because he really took the bull by the horns,” Turner said of McCown.