On March 2, Clemson Undergraduate Student Government Senate passed a constitutional amendment that would make the Student Supreme Court responsible for publishing the majority of final decisions in cases of jurisdiction. For this amendment to be enacted, a two-thirds majority of the student body must vote to approve it.

In bill 69_CA_02, co-writers Mario Torres and Fernando De Medeiros established that within Clemson University’s Student Handbook for 2025-2026, the student government’s purpose is to serve as the “liaison between undergraduate students and the administration, faculty, and staff.”

The purpose of the amendment is to address the growing concern and “gap in the quantity, quality and transparency of the communications given by the CUSG governing body.” The writers explained that they would like to keep “student advocacy alive” and increase the collaboration between all three branches of CUSG.

The amendment is broken down into three sections: judicial power, the attorney general and the Supreme Court.

The judicial power will be withheld in a Supreme Court and other lesser courts, which the Student Senate will establish. The attorney general, who is appointed by the student body president, will serve as the “chief administrative officer of the Judicial Branch,” and their duty will be to protect the rights of undergraduate students along with graduate students.

The Supreme Court will have “appellate jurisdiction over all cases” that involve student regulation violations. They will also issue written and public decisions that articulate the court’s decision on a case. This public decision will include the majority opinion, any dissenting opinions and the result of the votes “upon the conclusion of all cases within its jurisdiction, except for individual misconduct cases.”

The amendment notes that “written opinions provide transparency by clearly articulating the legal reasoning, standards, and interpretations that guide a court’s final decision.” In establishing a public opinion, the goal is not to limit the ability of the students to understand how and why judicial determinations are reached.

CUSG has passed this bill, but in order for the amendment to be enacted, a two-thirds majority of the student body has to approve it as well.

On March 11 at midnight, the referendum to the constitution will be attached to the ballot for the student body president, vice president and Student Senate elections. The ballot will now have four different parts — the last two will be to vote on the referendums — regarding judicial transparency and modifying the role of student body president.