Constitutional Column 2024: Issue 1 | Page 16

Article V
Section 5 . A Removal Prior to Convention
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Article V

Section 5 / Removal From Office

While we all hope that officers never need to be removed , it ’ s extremely important for any organization to have a well defined removal procedure so that the process , should it happen , is as smooth as possible .
The Constitution specifies two valid reasons to remove an officer :
1 .
breaking rules at the NJCL Convention ;
2 .
serious negligence in carrying out the office ’ s duties .

Section 5 . A Removal Prior to Convention

Should the removal process occur before Convention , the Constitution has a detailed list of steps for how it should be carried out .
The following process should take no longer than 30 days :

1 . Introduction : A resolution to consider an officer ’ s removal can be started by an officer , a National Committee member , or a petition signed by three States . From here , the National Committee decides whether or not to go forward with the process .

2 . Defense : If it does , the officer in question must provide a written or spoken defense to the National Committee , and the officer ’ s sponsor must verify that the defense was adequate .

3 . Vote : If the officer ’ s sponsor is satisfied with the defense , the National Committee votes on the matter . A two-thirds majority is required to remove an officer . If the officer was removed for poor behavior , the National Committee can also vote to ban them from holding NJCL office in the future .

While not mentioned in the Constitution , Robert ’ s Rules of Order states that the removal procedure and the reason why an officer was removed should be kept confidential .