Union Court

Welcome to the Union Court website.

Role

The Union Court is a rather different committee from any other in the Union. Its function is to ensure that Union Officers, returning officers and committees – including the Council and Executive Committee – follow the rules set down by the Union. It acts as one part of the checks and balances in the democratic functioning of the Union.
It also acts as the appeal body in all elections, referenda, media disputes and some disciplinary matters.
The Union Court does not make policy or manage any part of the Union, but it does decide what can and cannot be done and by whom. It can also block (also known as “quash”) any decision which is unconstitutional or against other superior rules. The rules themselves are passed by the relevant democratic student committees: the Court’s role is to ensure that they are adhered to.

For more details browse this site or e-mail ICU Court.

Current members

Current life members of the Union Court are Stephen Brown (Chair, retiring 2013), Alex Grisman (retiring 2012) and Andrew Heeps (retiring 2014).
Student members are: Jaimie Henry (Deputy Court Chair), Leslie Uzan, Rahul Mudannayake, and Thomas Cosnahan.
There is one vacancy each for a student and a College staff member.

Asking the Union Court for help

Any member of the Union may ask the Union Court to deal with something - you don't need permission from senior officers or committees to ask. Most often the matter gets resolved without any formal meeting.
Also, a student who has opted out of membership may complain about unfavourable treatment based on his opt-out, and any person referred to in a Union publication or media outlet may also make a complaint.

There are also separate provisions for elections, publications and disciplinary matters as well.
For more details see “Requesting a case”.

Union Advocate

The Union Advocate acts as a link between the Union Court and the rest of the Union. He or she represents student views to the Court, and explains in turn its decisions to other Union Committees. Most importantly however, he or she should bring to the Union Court's attention any matter which may need a rule clarification, or apparent unconstitutional practice.