Justices
uphold Senate seat
By Todd Leland
On-line Forty-Niner
The
Associated Students Judiciary brought forth
decisions in several cases brought by a
Cal State Long Beach political science student
and former justice.
Edward
Ober, using the Associated Students Inc.
by-laws against the organization that invokes
the powers of those laws, played an integral
role in returning Brian Roberts to his senator-at-large
position.
One
of the cases filed by Ober, A.S.I. case
No. 611, was one of two cases given to the
Judiciary concerning the matter of A.S.I.
President Danny Vivian’s veto of the October
senator-at-large election.
That
election placed Roberts in the senator-at-large
position for the campus cultural community.
The other case, A.S.I. case No. 614, was
filed by Roberts himself days after Ober
had already made his complaint formal.
In
a written press release, Ober said he was
appalled by the blatant disregard the Senate
had for the A.S.I. by-laws and that Vivian
and the Senate were neglecting their duties
as student government officials.
“My
hope is to instill a sense of accountability
and propriety to our student government,”
Ober stated in another formal release.
Ober
also filed A.S.I. case No. 612, a suit brought
against the Judiciary Chief Justice Luis
Pena and the judicial branch itself. This
lawsuit contended that the Judiciary led
by Pena had, just like the legislative and
executive branches, failed to follow the
guidelines of the A.S.I. by-laws. Ober would
later file a motion to dismiss this case.
“I
do think that treating parties to cases
fairly and equally is important, and I think
that I was not treated equally in the scheduling
of the hearings to date,” Ober commented
in his motion to dismiss filing. “However,
I do think it is important to keep a productive
court operating and I am not sure this case
will necessarily help that endeavor.”
Ober
is steadfast in his intentions to bring
order to the three branches of the student
government.
“It
is my hope that merely having brought the
issues of the rules, of fairness and of
equality to the attention of the court at
this time may help the court administer
itself with propriety going forward this
year,” Ober said. “And thereby enhance the
productivity and legitimacy of our student
government on this campus permanently.”
Members
of A.S.I. said they feel they have and are
doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.
“I
made the veto and I stick by that decision.
It was the right thing to do,” Vivian said
last week. “The Judiciary decided against
my veto and I have to stand by that decision.
I appointed the justices of the Judiciary
so I know they made an impartial and unbiased
decision.”
Senate
Chairman and A.S.I. Vice President Shahrokh
Sheik said he was not worried about Ober’s
lawsuit because he thought most of the complaints
were unfounded.
Individuals
close to the situation say that Ober’s lawsuits
have arisen from the animosity he feels
toward Vivian and the A.S.I. because he
was not appointed chief justice of the Judiciary,
a position he had applied for and was given
to Luis Pena.
Even
with that possibility Ober has been a champion
of the A.S.I. by-laws.
“I
want to impart a sense of obligation to
the rules by which the government operates,”
Ober declared in his statement. “No one
is above the rules.”
Ober
could not be reached for comment.
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