Founded in 2009, Duke Student Government Judiciary (DSGJ) is the third branch of Duke Student Government. The Judiciary works closely with the Office of Public Advocacy and has constitutional and statutory oversight over DSG and its related affiliates, as well as every student group that is funded through DSG. The Judiciary is committed to serving, protecting, and defending students’ rights in adherence to the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and accompanying Bylaws that govern these bodies.
Jurisdiction
The Judiciary is the branch of the Duke Student Government that deals with any and all disputes among groups subject to the DSG Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Bylaws. Groups subject to the DSG Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Bylaws include:
- The DSG Senate
- The DSG Executive Board
- Krzyzewskiville Line Monitors
- Student Organization Finance Committee (SOFC)
- The Young Trustee Nominating Committee (YTNC)
- Any individual student group or student group leaders
- Any other organization affiliated with DSG
Potential Cases
Examples of some of the many issues on which the Judiciary hears cases:
- Contested Elections
- Objections to the Young Trustee Nominating Committee process
- Objections by individuals to SOFC determinations concerning their student group
- Legislation or DSG Senate activities of questionable constitutionality
- Conflicts regarding Krzyzewskiville policies
- Impeachment and/or removal of DSG officers or student group leaders
Justices
Zander Pitrus – Chief Justice
Zander is a senior from San Diego, CA majoring in Political Science. Zander has previously served as Clerk of DSGJ and Associate Justice of DSGJ. Zander’s goal for this year is to increase the Judiciary’s visibility by informing the student body about what exactly DSGJ does, what rights students hold, and how DSGJ can properly protect these rights. Zander wants to ensure that more cases are heard, and he plans to pursue initiatives that create a more democratic appeals process to encourage students to bring cases related to violations of club constitutions and the Duke Constitution. Overall, Zander plans to act within the core responsibilities of the DSGJ, those being to serve as a robust check on the other branches, adjudicate disputes, and uphold student rights.
Maya Ezroni – Associate Chief Justice
Sherman Criner – Associate Justice
Sherman is a senior from Wilmington, NC double-majoring in History and Public Policy and minoring in Political Science. Sherman previously served as DSGJ Clerk, and his main goal for this year is to conduct a thorough review of DSG by-laws.
Vincent Hovsepian – Associate Justice
Vincent is a sophomore from Los Angeles, CA majoring in Public Policy. He previously served as a senator for E+A, co-leading the International Mentorship Initiative. Vincent’s main goal is to address the fact that most Duke students don’t know about DSG’s Judiciary by making it visible, accessible, and actually useful to the people it is meant to serve.
Viveka Mehrotra – Associate Justice
Viveka is a sophomore from Athens, GA majoring in Computer Science and Public Policy. This is her first position in DSG, and her main goal for this year is to bring greater visibility to what the Judiciary can do for the student body by protecting student rights through altruistic leadership rooted in justice, constitutional integrity, and dedicated service to the community it was created to protect.
Justin Zou – Associate Justice
Charlie Rubsamen – Associate Justice
Charlie is a sophomore from Cleveland, OH majoring in biochemistry and US History. This is his first year in DSG (welcome!!), and his main goal is to work closely with other branches of DSG to make the Judiciary more accessible for the student body.