The student body has its own Supreme Court8212;it just doesn’t do much.
If a student has a campus-related grievance that needs adjudication, the student government’s Supreme Court might seem the logical place to turn. It wouldn’t be much help, however, unless the complaint pertained to student elections.
The court deals almost exclusively with election-related matters, and even then, the court’s seven justices only review appealed cases. Complaints go first to the Associated Students of the University of Utah Grievance Hearing Committee before they can be appealed to the ASUU Supreme Court.
“I often tell new justices that the name of the court could just as well be the elections appeals committee,” said Chief Justice Adam Reiser.
In his two years on the court, Reiser could recall only one instance where an election complaint actually reached the stage where the court had to be
convened to review the matter.
Likewise, Justice Breanne Miller said the court sees very little activity, which might be why members of the court are paid $20 per meeting with a cap on the number of meetings that can be held in a given year.
ASUU gives Reiser a $150 flat-rate stipend per semester, he said, because he assists in districting for the ASUU Assembly to determine how many seats are available. He also helps out with the administration’s inauguration.
The court, however, remains dormant most of the time.
“It’s not called into action very often at all,” Reiser said.
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