The ASUO elections grievance war will finally be fought in court today, and with four back-to-back hearings regarding various grievances, the ASUO Constitution Court justices have a long night ahead of them.
Tonight between 5 and 11 p.m. in Room 241 of the Knight Law Center, the court will hear the parties involved with the grievances that have sent this year’s election into a tailspin of uncertainty.
At 5 p.m., the court will hear the case of Bret Jacobson and Matt Cook v. Jeff Oliver. Three hearings will follow, including the grievances against the Multicultural Center’s ballot measure, the ASUO Elections Board, and Executive candidates Nilda Brooklyn and Joy Nair.
Jacobson and Cook’s appeal of the ASUO Election Board’s decision to disqualify them from the race halted the Executive general election on March 4. The board voted in favor of Oliver’s grievance filed against the pair because their campaign distributed fliers in the residence halls.
The court halted the general elections for the ballot measures after five student senators filed a grievance against the MCC measure. The senators said the measure’s wording violates the authority of the Programs Finance Committee, the senate and a law created by the U.S. Supreme Court less than a year ago. During the hearing, Sen. Mary Elizabeth Madden will represent herself and the other four senators.

Jarrett White’s grievance against Brooklyn and Nair accuses the two of using ASUO phones to make campaign calls, and Steven Lockfield filed a grievance against the Elections Board for an error involving a senate seat position.
Although no decisions will be made today, Chief Justice Rob Raschio said the final outcome should be known by April 2. The court’s decisions will ultimately determine which candidates and measures will appear on the ballot in spring term’s general election. Raschio said the court, which is made up of four justices after Justice Richard Jameson’s resignation last week, wants to use its time to review the cases thoroughly.
“We have a little more time than we thought we had,” he said. “We all want to make sure we make the right decision.”
Each of the hearings will have a slightly different format, but all petitioners and respondents will have the chance to present their cases and to answer rebuttals by the other parties. Hearings could run between one and two hours, and possibly longer.
Stephanie Chaney, the Elections Board publicity coordinator, said she hopes the hearings will ensure that the next election held has a “speedier” and “cleaner” outcome and will eliminate confusion for students and candidates.

Although some people have been concerned about the election’s postponement, Justice Alan Tauber said the delay is necessary to ensure all the parties involved get their due process.
Tauber added that he hopes no one leaves feeling as though they had an unjust trial.
“We hope that at the end of the process, everyone feels like they got a fair say and hearing,” he said.
The court will also exercise its discretion to hear other interested parties who may submit Amicus briefs, written arguments supporting one side. Briefs will be accepted only for the grievances filed against the Elections Board and MCC until 4 p.m. today.