Madison Student Court Drops Final Appeal by Rep. Michael Harry

The student judiciary of the Associated Students of Madison dismissed the final legal challenge to this spring's chair election on September 29.

Rep. Michael Harry, who lost the race for the 33rd session chair, filed a second brief on September 22. He argued that the court mishandled his initial petition and that Chief Justice Chloe Sieman misapplied rules during proceedings. This filing followed an amended brief he submitted on September 14, which added information to his original complaint from April 30.

The conflict began after the April 24 election, when Harry claimed that meeting rules were broken and that the Chief Justice failed to preside. On September 8, the judiciary issued an order to discuss his first brief as a special item at the September 16 student council meeting. This order replaced an earlier version issued on April 30.

At the September 16 meeting, representatives voted to reject the special order. The motion required a two-thirds majority to pass. A majority of members supported the measure, but the vote fell short of the necessary threshold. Had the motion succeeded, representatives could have re-elected the 33rd session chair using a simple majority vote. Harry’s second brief contended that requiring a two-thirds supermajority to address his first brief had no precedent.

The dismissal notice states that a majority of student justices recused themselves from the decision. This group included Chief Justice Sieman, whose recusal Harry had requested. Because so many justices stepped aside, the court did not assign a full panel to hear the case. Harry, Sieman, and the judiciary declined to provide further comment on the brief.

ASM Chair Haia Al Zein issued a statement welcoming the outcome. She said the decision gave her hope for the remainder of the 33rd session and offered an opportunity for the body to work collaboratively and move forward in greater unity.

The dismissal closes the legal dispute over the April election results. Al Zein remains the chair of the 33rd session. No further appeals are pending before the student judiciary regarding this vote.