The Undergraduate Student Government Supreme Court released a decision on USG-Tempe President Mason DoVico's dismissal of his former chief of staff, Cayla Kirschbaum on Feb. 17. The decision said DoVico was within his jurisdiction and followed the guidelines set by the USG Constitution.
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"It is the holding of this Court that the Defendant acted within his designated authority as USG-T President when dismissing the Petitioner from her position as Chief of Staff," the USG Supreme Court said in its decision. Grey Gartin, the USG Supreme Court chief justice, declined a request for comment.
DoVico fired Kirschbaum on Jan. 24, and his decision has since been under investigation by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court was looking into the USG bylaws to examine if DoVico had the ability to fire Kirschbaum or if an impeachment led by the USG-T Senate needed to take place in order to remove her from office. They ultimately made the decision that while a Senate-led impeachment is acceptable, it was within DoVico's power to terminate Kirschbaum from her position.
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"I commend the USG Supreme Court for their diligent and thorough handling of this case," DoVico said in a statement sent to The State Press. "Their unwavering commitment to upholding the principles enshrined in the USG Constitution is evident, and their efforts play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of our student governance."
Kirschbaum did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
This story is developing and may be updated.
Editor's note: Grey Gartin is a former employee of The State Press.
Edited by Sophia Braccio, Abigail Beck and Alexis Heichman.
Reach the reporter at ehprest1@asu.edu and follow @ellis_reports on X.
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Ellis is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Arizona PBS and Blaze Radio.
