After being disqualified from Student Government elections Tuesday by the SG Election Court, the Foret-Tatman: Forward campaign is appealing to the SG University Court to have the decision overturned.
Foret-Tatman: Forward was disqualified for misreporting campaign spending and listing several items, including jambalaya, gasoline for two generators and campaign buttons as donated items that cost it $0.
Foret-Tatman: Forward is now appealing on the grounds that the SG Election Commission instructed the campaign to list its donations the way it did.
Foret-Tatman: Forward is also appealing a decision that assessed the Henderson-Layrisson campaign three penalties. Foret-Tatman: Forward alleged that the Henderson-Layrisson campaign physically tampered with a student’s phone in order to manipulate his vote, resulting in a penalty that didn’t reach disqualification.
“The Court should have assessed more penalties for this violation,” Foret-Tatman: Forward said in its petition for appeal.
The University Court will privately consider both cases Wednesday night.
Foret-Tatman: Forward was previously disqualified prior to the SG elections, which were held on March 20 and 21, for alleged bribery. That decision was overturned by the university’s dean of students. The decision was controversial to many in SG, as it represented outside university involvement in SG proceedings. Three state legislators also were involved, calling for Foret-Tatman: Forward’s reinstatement.
Foret-Tatman: Forward also moved to have Associate Justice Catherine Lant recused from both of the forthcoming appeals. According to a screenshot provided by the Foret-Tatman: Forward counsel, Lant reposted an LSU College Dems Instagram post condemning state legislators’ involvement in Foret-Tatman: Forward’s reinstatement.
Lant and the University Court chose not to recuse her, according to court documents.
The Forward campaign, which brought the campaign spending case against Foret-Tatman: Forward also offered an alternative dispute resolution in which only Alex Foret and Isabelle Tatman, the president and vice president candidates of the ticket, would be disqualified. Foret-Tatman: Forward rejected this offer.
“Alex Foret and Isabelle Tatman will never stop fighting for their rights and the rights of all LSU students, wherever that fight takes them,” the campaign said in its rejection. “This was not a good-faith offer.”
