After a lengthy debate on an impeachment case from Spring Quarter, the Associated Student Government’s Rules Committee released a majority opinion Tuesday stating that Northwestern College Republicans senator Hunter Gracey is on probation until next Spring and will not participate in ASG.
Gracey, a rising Weinberg junior, did not comment on the ruling.
If it chooses to do so, NUCR can reappoint Gracey to the Senate once his current term is over. In the meantime, NUCR is allowed to appoint another representative as a temporary proxy.
NUCR did not respond to a request for comment.
Coby Potischman (Medill ‘25) filed articles of impeachment against Gracey in May.
The original articles of impeachment alleged that Gracey made “inflammatory” comments at a dinner with three other ASG members. It was dismissed after ASG determined that discriminatory conduct falls under the purview of the University’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, not ASG.
According to emails obtained by The Daily, OCR reviewed the conduct and determined there was “insufficient information” to suggest it implicated OCR policy. OCR then closed the case.
Potischman filed another set of articles, which were the ones ultimately considered in the impeachment case. Those articles alleged that Gracey had engaged in an “aggressive pressure campaign to quash duly-filed articles of impeachment” and were based on Gracey’s behavior after the first articles had been filed.
Gracey launched an OCR non-retaliation case against Potischman and claimed that the second articles of impeachment were retaliation against him for bringing the initial impeachment case to OCR. As of the time of publication, the case is still ongoing.
According to the ruling from the ASG impeachment case, which was delivered by rising SESP sophomore and ASG Chief Justice JJ Nabors-Moore, two incidents guided the deliberations of the court.
The first instance dealt with messages Gracey sent to other ASG members after Potischman filed the first articles of impeachment. According to the ruling, Gracey sent messages to other ASG members from the dinner calling Potischman a “demon” and “evil.” Multiple witnesses testified that the messages they received were hostile.
The court, according to its ruling, found that Gracey’s messages demonstrated a “profound lack of decorum and a readiness to engage in intimidation.”
The second instance occurred during a May 21 Senate session. According to the majority opinion, Gracey handed Potischman a Monster Energy drink and said that if Potischman gave it back, Gracey would “die from an allergic reaction.” The ruling said Potischman interpreted this incident as “threatening” and “intimidating.” Potischman cited it as “an escalation of previous hostile behavior.”
This instance occurred after the second articles of impeachment had been filed, but the Rules Committee still included it in the case. The court said it would not make sense for Potischman to file additional articles after each development.
According to the majority opinion, the court ruled that Gracey’s behavior “violated the ASG Constitution” and created a “hostile, unsafe and unprofessional environment within the Senate.” However, it also recognized the role mental health may have played in his conduct.
The majority opinion states that the probation will allow Gracey “adequate time to improve his mental state.”
“The board’s opinion is extremely well reasoned and I fully support their decision,” Potischman said. “I think that ASG and Hunter himself will benefit from his eight months out of office.”
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