The Student Government Association Judicial Board dismissed an appeal filed by SGA Senator Tyler Tannehill on Feb. 8 that asked the board to nullify more than 30 acts passed by the SGA Senate between 2016 and 2021.  

Tannehill presented the appeal to the board after it nullified an act on Aug. 25 requiring the SGA to post Senate dockets on the SGA website for not meeting the definition of an act, which must have a “monetary allocation.”   

The appeal was sent to the Judicial Board towards the end of last semester, but it was received by a panel for review on Jan. 30.  

Tannehill argued that since many of the bills that were passed before this ruling did not meet this definition, they should all retroactively be nullified.  

The Judicial Board said nullifying the acts was “wholly unnecessary” because its previous opinion was meant to apply to all future legislation passed, not previous ones.  

In his appeal, Tannehill said that disregarding a “long line of contradicting a constitutional requirement” would be a “legal injustice.” 

However, the Judicial Board said “the rampant dissolution of previous actions” that “better the experience of the University of Alabama’s student population” is the only thing that would pose a threat to democratic principles, not the SGA upholding these acts’ constitutionality.  

Tannehill said that while he believes these acts have “great merit,” he finds it necessary to nullify them because the SGA acted “illegally in the past.”  

“The SGA doesn’t respect the clearly set requirements in the Constitution that determines what an Act allows,” said Tannehill in a statement to The Crimson White. “The SGA is more concerned on taking the easiest path possible into retroactively correcting their mistakes by constitutional amendment rather than openly admitting their mistakes.” 

The board’s full opinion is available on the SGA website.