After 15 years, the Student Supreme Court is in order.

Last week, four student justices met to vote on a case involving Student Government not meeting quorum. The court’s written opinion was released Tuesday.

“The job of this honorable court is to serve the student body of Eastern Illinois University by upholding the Constitution,” according to the document written by Chief Justice Jacob Griffin.

Role of the court

After more than a decade of absence from Eastern’s campus, most students remain unaware of its purpose.

“Anytime a student feels that they have a grievance, or an injustice has occurred, that their constitutional right has been violated, then we will be more than happy to hear that case,” Griffin said.

Former Student Body President Levi Bulgar reinstated the court, which serves as the third and equal branch of Student Government, similar to the national system.

“Not many cases get to the Supreme Court, it’s not something that’s taken lightly,” said Ken Baker, the court’s faculty adviser. “You don’t have a misunderstanding and take it to the Supreme Court.”

The role of the court on campus is “justice,” Baker said, and it should not be taken lightly or it will lose its prestige.

Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, appointed Baker as the adviser because of his life experiences, Baker said.

“I’m old. I’ve been around some court rooms,” he said.

After a case is submitted online through the Student Government Web site, it is sent to Baker who then notifies the justices about a potential case. The justices then meet to decide if the case is valid and then inform the people involved.

Members of the Court

Besides Griffin, the justices of the Student Supreme Court are John Hamilton, Jared Hausmann, Marsheela-Ma Stinson and Joy Raines.

Currently the court is two members short after Nathan Leitner and Quentin Frazier graduated in the spring

Hamilton, Stinson and Griffin will be graduating in December, opening three more seats.

The responsibility of assigning justices falls to Student Body President Michelle Murphy, who has started the process by contacting both the EIU Democrats and Republicans. She also plans to speak to classes in the political science department.

Students do not need to have a background in politics, but “it makes you more qualified because have to do less background work on how the court works,” Murphy said.

Applications for the position are available in the Student Activities Center in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“The idea is that if the legislative branch and executive branch work properly, you shouldn’t need the Supreme Court,” Murphy said.

Emily Steele can be reached at 581-7942 or easteele2@eiu.edu

When I start to like something, I get pretty much infatuated with it.

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