Student court overturns Senator’s impeachment

The Student Constitutional Court handed the Student Senate a blow Tuesday night when it overturned its impeachment of Senator Sullivan Jones and ordered a retrial. 

In delivering the court’s ruling, Chief Justice Nathan Cronin stated Jones is to be reinstated as senator of liberal arts and that he may present evidence and witnesses during the retrial. The Court also said that petitioners may not submit any new evidence.  

“What Senate did was a travesty,” Jones said while presenting his appeal. “The Court has a chance to make sure something like this never happens again. Senate has to follow our constitution, they have to. They have to be held accountable for that.” 

In a seven-page, single-spaced appeal to the Court, Jones claimed last week’s impeachment trial lacked due process, lacked cause and lacked a notice of charges. He also claimed there was no merit to the charges submitted by the 10 petitioners– Sens. Kelsey Crock, Olivia Bryant, Sarah Hough, McKenna Juhlin, Colton Brienza, Bryan Zutavern, Emmanuella Tchona, Hannah Pfeifly, Isna Patel, and Cooper Reichman.  

On Wednesday, Crock, Juhlin, Tchona and Brienza simply said “no comment” about the Court’s findings.  

 Zutavern, however, was more open. 

“I was happy to see Senator Jones’ appeal his impeachment,” he said. “While I did sign the petition, I chose to vote against his impeachment when the time came to vote. I am hopeful that the decision made during general assembly will be reversed in this upcoming meeting.” 

Reichman, who voted for impeachment, apparently had a change of heart. 

“I am glad that Senator Sullivan (Jones) will have the opportunity to be back in Student Senate,” he said. “I feel that the events of the last couple of weeks will open up some discussion for all Senators to become better mediators and not think of things in a black-and-white aspect. It is not us against each other, but rather, us facing a problem or miscommunication.” 

Bryant, who voted in favor of impeaching Jones, said she was unable to attend Tuesday’s hearing because of other commitments. Consequently, she said she could not “in good conscience” comment on the appeal trial. 

In his appeal, Jones also claimed that “illegal evidence saturated the impeachment.” Rather than presenting evidence of an “impeachable offense,” he said the petitioners put his  character on trial before peers, faculty, and the public. 

Jones’ appeal further claimed the Court, which oversaw the Senate trial, abused its authority when it “forced” Senator Makenna Metzler, who has a personal relationship with Jones, to “abstain from the impeachment vote” on Sept. 27.  

In rendering the Court’s decision, Cronin said the opinion of the court will be given to the senators at Monday’s Senate meeting, and the retrial will take place then.