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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Former Student Association executive chief of staff requests Student Court hearing

Cordelia+Scales%2C+the+former+executive+chief+of+staff+for+the+SA%2C+filed+a+complaint+last+week+alleging+Zidouemba+is+not+the+legitimate+president+of+the+SA+after+the+executive+cabinet+voted+to+remove+him+from+office+in+July.
File Photo by Grace Hromin
Cordelia Scales, the former executive chief of staff for the SA, filed a complaint last week alleging Zidouemba is not the legitimate president of the SA after the executive cabinet voted to remove him from office in July.

Former Executive Chief of Staff Cordelia Scales said Student Association President Christian Zidouemba and his defense misinterpreted the SA Constitution in her Tuesday response to the defense’s statement.

Scales called for the court to reject Zidouemba’s motion to dismiss the case and asks the court to schedule a full hearing to address the complaint in her reply to the defense’s Saturday statement. Scales’ reply to Zidouemba comes after the Student Court announced Wednesday that Scales submitted a complaint alleging Zidouemba is not the legitimate president of the SA and that she should be reappointed to the chief of staff position after the vote to remove Zidouemba from office in July was reversed.

Dylan Basescu the former legislator general, who also was terminated and subsequently resigned after the July power struggle wrote that according to the wording of Article 15 of the SA Constitution, if the executive cabinet determines the president is permanently unfit to hold the office, the executive cabinet holds the power to remove them.

The defendants argued in their response that all individuals holding the titles specified in Article 15 of the SA Constitution – which include the chief of staff, communications director, vice president, treasurer and legislator general – had to be present and vote for removal for the invocation of Article 15 to be valid. Keanu Rowe, one of the two chiefs of staff, was not present for the July removal vote, but all the title holders specified in Article 15 – including Scales, one of the chiefs of staff – voted for Zidouemba’s removal.

“This court should deny the defendant’s motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s complaint with prejudice because the defendant’s central arguments are either misguided, unsubstantiated or incomplete,” Scales’s response states.

Zidouemba’s defense asks the court to declare Zidouemba as the rightful president and affirm that Scales is not an executive chief of staff.

The court met Sunday to consider the case. It will release an order on whether it will hear on the case by Friday.

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About the Contributor
Erika Filter, News Editor
Erika Filter is a senior majoring in international affairs from Carson City, Nevada. She leads the Metro beat as one of The Hatchet's 2023-2024 news editors and previously served as the assistant news editor for the Student Government beat.
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