Judicial Court Chief Justice Sawyer Bagley ordered the Student Senate to cease all communication with the public regarding Student Body President Hudson Kraus’ upcoming impeachment trial.
During the Sept. 13 general Student Senate meeting, Bagley told student senators they are not allowed to share any further information about the trial. If they choose to violate this order, it would be considered an action that could be grounds for their own impeachment.
When asked about why the injunction had not been released to the public, Bagley said the court waits until all proceedings are complete to release any documents or opinions.
“The reason we don’t release [the writ] to the public is to protect all interests of all parties involved,” Bagley said. “As I said earlier, the justices in the process, we don’t want them to be swayed by public opinion in one way or another.”
Bagley said all details and documents related to the case would be published on the judicial system’s website after the case was complete.
Bagley also addressed his displeasure with the private documents about the impeachment trial that were leaked to The Battalion by an anonymous member of the Student Government Association.
“I have sufficient evidence to believe that someone within one of the two parties involved has already leaked the confidential documents that have been sent to each party,” Bagley said. “This is very worrisome because there is supposed to be trust in our judicial system and in the student government.”
The impeachment trial was initially intended to be held on Sept. 13, but it was moved to another undecided date after an appeal by Kraus.
Around 50 students attended the start of this student government meeting to show support for Kraus, but the group was asked to leave in compliance with the room occupancy due to fire code.
The group of students answered in unison with “Howdy!” when Kraus’ name was called during the opening roll call.
Deputy Corps Commander Klayton House spoke on behalf of the Corps of Cadets during the open forum portion of the meeting to address the ongoing situation.
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do,” House said. “While the camaraderie among Aggies is legendary and life-long, in no way is friendship ever a justification for violating the tenets of the Aggie Code of Honor.”
House said the Corps supports upholding the standards of the Aggie Honor Code rather than taking a specific side.
“While the Corps of Cadets does not support any side of the conflict within [the] Student Government Association,” House said after the meeting in a message to The Battalion. “We must remember our values as Aggies that [make] this university the No. 1 university in the state of Texas.”
