This post was updated Dec. 3 at 6:07 p.m.

The USA Judicial Board will hear a case for the first time in at least two years.

In a statement emailed Tuesday, Chief Justice Mithra Venkatesh said the board granted a petition for consideration submitted by Bella Brannon, a fourth-year public affairs and religion student who alleged that Undergraduate Students Association Council Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo discriminated against Jewish applicants to the commission during its fall hiring cycle.

In the memorandum granting the petition, Venkatesh said the board will formally consider whether Verdugo violated Article I, Section E of the USA Bylaws, which prevents USAC from supporting or being affiliated with “any organization which legally discriminates on the basis of: race, creed, sex (except as exempt from Title IX), age, national origin, religion, physical handicap, or sexual orientation.” 

[Related: USAC Cultural Affairs Commissioner faces allegation of antisemitic discrimination]

In the petition submitted to the judicial board, Brannon alleged that Verdugo’s office declined to hire every applicant who mentioned their Jewish faith in their application to the commission. She also alleged Verdugo directed their staff to not hire “Zionist” applicants, citing internal group messages from Verdugo that she said were provided to her by a member of Verdugo’s staff.

The Cultural Affairs Commission is responsible for programming reflecting cultural, social or political significance and is supposed to be accessible to all students, according to the commission’s student organization page. Verdugo has been commissioner since 2022.

Brannon also alleged in her petition that journalists working for Ha’Am – a Jewish newsmagazine at UCLA of which Brannon is the editor in chief and which shares a publisher with the Daily Bruin – were prevented from attending one of the commission’s events.

According to the memorandum, a preliminary hearing will be held Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. over Zoom. 

In the hearing – which will only be open to members of the judicial board, Brannon, Verdugo and the parties’ representatives – Brannon will have to confirm if she will move forward with the complaint, while Verdugo will be forced to confirm or deny “allegations of fact” made by Brannon in the petition, according to the memorandum.

According to the board’s bylaws, preliminary hearings must be held in closed session. Judicial board members are nominated by the USAC president and appointed after being voted on by the council. The board’s pay was docked in July by USAC, which cited its inactivity.

In an emailed statement, Venkatesh said the board would be unable to comment further on the case, as it is ongoing.

Brannon said she was pleased with the board’s decision to hear the case.

“We know that there’s been a lot of slogans hurled around about the Jewish people and their state, but we’re really hoping that through this hearing, we’ll get some justice on this blatant hiring discrimination,” she said.

Brannon added that Eli Tsives, a second-year political science student, would represent her in the hearing. Tsives previously ran to serve as a USAC general representative and was vocal on issues including preventing antisemitism on campus during and in the wake of the Palestine solidarity encampment at UCLA, but lost the election.

“Eli is a staunch advocate for the Jewish people,” Brannon said. “I’m really excited to hopefully get some justice on this with him by my side.”

[Related: Pro-Palestine encampment features teach-ins, speeches as counter-protesters engage]

The Judicial Board also issued a memorandum Monday denying a petition from Jordan Felder, Verdugo’s former chief of staff and – prior to that – a former Daily Bruin staffer. Felder, like Brannon, alleged discrimination in violation of the USA Bylaws by Verdugo.

Felder alleged in her complaint that she was told her sobriety at an event where Verdugo and underage staffers were inebriated made other members of the commission uncomfortable. She added in the complaint that other directors who did not drink at a CAC event were not reprimanded for failing to participate.

Felder also alleged in the complaint that she faced discrimination on the basis of sex because Verdugo refused to accommodate her menstruation-related health needs.

Felder also mentioned disputes about the hiring of Jewish candidates in her complaint. She also said while her co-chief of staff was encouraged to offer opinions on candidates for hire, she was prevented from doing so.

The Judicial Board said in their memorandum that it does not believe Felder’s petition sufficiently demonstrates discriminatory behavior.

Verdugo did not respond in time to a request for comment about the board granting Brannon’s petition. Felder also declined to comment on the board’s decision denying her petition.

A UCLA spokesperson said in an emailed statement Monday that the university is also looking into the complaint and believes all students should get a fair opportunity to participate in student government.

“UCLA unequivocally condemns discrimination in all forms,” the spokesperson said in the statement.

Contributing reports by Dylan Winward, News editor.