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On Legal Grounds | Memphis Law Events & Announcements

Honor Council Elections: Timeline and Process

by · March 30, 2026

Dear Memphis Law Students,

Elections for the 2026/2027 Honor Council are here!  Please see below for an outline of the election process, including important dates, deadlines, and eligibility requirements.

HONOR COUNCIL PURPOSE:

  • The Memphis Law Honor Council is composed of eleven law students elected by the student body that consists of the following positions: Chief Justice, Associate Chief Justice, Secretary, One Senior Student Justice, and Seven Student Justices.
  • The Honor Council adjudicates alleged violations of the Honor Code.
  • Please refer to Honor Code Provision 21.6 for a detailed process of how the Honor Council investigates and prosecutes alleged violations.

HONOR COUNCIL ELECTION PROCESS:

  • Reference: Honor Code Provision 21.7 (available here)

 Nominations: March 30th – April 3rd at 5:00 PM

  • The ballot for Honor Council elections will be determined by anonymous nominations from the student body.
  • Students will list the full name and university email of their nominee(s) on a ballot card and place the card in the ballot box located in the student lounge during the designated nomination period.
  • Please consider classmates whom you would trust to adjudicate Memphis Law Honor Code violations in a fair, unbiased, and strictly confidential manner.
  • You may also nominate yourself.
  • Campaigning for a position on Honor Council is NOT allowed!

Vetting Process: April 6–10

  • Once nominations are submitted and the nomination period ends, student nominees will be invited by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs/Registrar’s Office to either accept or decline their nomination.
  • You must respond in a timely manner—ideally by close of business of the day the email is received but no later than 24 hours—so that the vetting process can proceed.
  • The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs/Registrar’s Office will then vet each student who accepts their nomination by determining whether a nominee is ineligible based on factors listed in Honor Code Provision 21.7(a)(2).
  • Any nominee found to be ineligible will be removed from the nomination list.
  • Nominees will be notified of their eligibility to be placed on the ballot once the vetting process is complete.

 Nominee Meeting and Statement of Interest Due: April 14

  • Mandatory Informational Meeting: Tuesday, April 14, 12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. in Wade Auditorium
  • Statement of Interest: Due no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 14
  • Once the nominee list is finalized, the incoming Chief Justice will hold a mandatory* but brief informational meeting on April 14 at noon for all nominees who wish to place their name on the ballot.
  • Each nominee who wishes to proceed with their name on the ballot must write a brief Statement of Interest in support of their nomination and email it to rcparson@memphis.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 14.
  • Failure to attend the meeting or submit a Statement of Interest by the deadline will result in removal of the nominee’s name from the ballot.

*Nominees may be excused from the meeting upon notifying Riley Pearson of prior obligations or conflicts, but no extensions will be granted for the Statement of Interest deadline.

 Elections: April 20–24

  • The final list of nominees will be placed on the ballot on Tiger Zone along with their Statement of Interest.
  • Campaigning for a position on Honor Council is NOT allowed!
  • Any instances of a nominee asking other students to vote for them via GroupMe, text, social media, or word of mouth will result in immediate disqualification.
  • A student is only permitted to vote for nominees in their class.
  • Number of Votes for Each Class:
  • Rising 2Ls will cast five (5) votes.
    • The five nominees from the rising 2L class who receive the most votes will be seated for a two-year term on the Honor Council.
    • The nominee who receives the most votes from the rising 2L class will serve as Secretary their 2L year and Chief Justice their 3L year.
    • The nominee who receives the second most votes in the rising 2L class will serve as a Student Justice their 2L year and Associate Chief Justice their 3L year.
    • The nominee who receives the third most votes will serve as a Student Justice their 2L year and as Senior Student Justice their 3L year.
    • The remaining two students will serve a two-year term as Student Justices.
  • Rising 3Ls will cast two (2) votes.
    • The two nominees from the rising 3L class who receives the most votes will be seated for a one-year term as a Student Justice.

Election Announcements and Potential Run-Off Election: April 26–28

  • Election results will be announced via On Legal Grounds on Monday, April 26th.
  • The posting will include any information about a run-off election, if necessary.

Please be sure to let me know if you have any questions or concerns that were not addressed in the information above.  We thank the graduating Honor Council members for their service and look forward to welcoming our new members soon!

Sincerely,

Riley C. Pearson
Secretary and Chief Justice Elect, Honor Council
rcparson@memphis.edu
901.378.5257

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