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SA Senate Unanimously Votes in Supreme Court Amidst Miscommunication

By Henry Fisher | September 12, 2022



Photo Credit: Shutterstock


The Student Association reported on the progress of many members of the executive staff at their meeting on Wednesday, and they unanimously elected two new Supreme Court Justices, Justice Samson and Justice Jimenez.


This was another short meeting, largely due to the missing seats and the short agenda.


This meeting kicked off with a couple of miscommunications. The first motion was by Senator Burov, who proposed a limit of one minute per person for public comments. This motion passed unanimously, but was immediately rebuked by who appeared to be a former member of the Senate. He cited the SA Constitution, which made such a restriction illegal.


This was further backed up by former Senator Jalen Rose, who agreed that public commentary could not be limited to one minute.


“I know that you want to go home,” said Rose, but he felt as though some things could not be said in one minute.


There was also brief confusion over the position of Director of Intercultural Affairs. They were called upon to report on their department by Senate Chair, Naishaly Vélez Galán, only to be met with silence. Galan was informed of their absence, and the fact that the position was now open.


“I guess applications will be opening soon,” said Galan.


The first of the two Supreme Court Appointments was for now-Justice Samson. Samson discussed how she had often found herself immersed in clubs and organizations, and how she will continue to do that in the future. She also disclosed an anecdote on changing the way her High School talked about Black History.


“You can't always expect to be the smartest person in the room but you can promise to be the hardest working,” said Samson, quoting Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.


The second of the Supreme Court Appointments was for now-Justice Jimenez. He said that he has always been a participant in student government, and that growing up in a very political household left him interested in the topic. One of his accomplishments was raising money for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.


Justice Jimenez is allegedly the youngest to be appointed to the position, being a freshman in his third week at the University at Albany. The former holder of this title was Justice Andrew Thomas.


Following their unanimous appointment, the two Justices were sworn in.


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