The Student Judiciary issued a decision Sunday night in a rare instance of a case going to trial; the justices ruled the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union must change its name "to better reflect the objectives of the club."

The decision followed a trial on March 6, during which two clubs disputed which one could use the word "libertarian" in its club name. The Brandeis Libertarians argued "libertarian" should be dropped from the name of the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union.

According to the Judiciary's decision, the name BLCU misrepresents the club's activities on campus, and therefore the club must change its name. The new name also cannot include the word "libertarian," although it can include "liberty," wrote the Judiciary.

The decision also requires both clubs to alter their constitutions to "reflect the objectives" of each club, according to the decision.

In response to the decision, BLCU President Joshua Nass '14 wrote the club is "thankful to the justices for affording our club the opportunity to incorporate the word liberty into our club's name.

"We are and will continue to be the premiere club on campus for those students looking to defend and preserve liberty," wrote Nass in an email to the Justice. "We look forward to continue experiencing unparalleled amounts of success in all respects and to remaining the largest coalition of conservatives and libertarians on campus."

BL President Nelson Gilliat '14 said that "BL is obviously pleased with the court's ruling.

"BLCU was an attempt to lump in libertarianism with conservatism, which obviously can't work and therefore failed miserably."

At the trial, the Brandeis Libertarians, represented by club Vice President Aaron Fried '14 and Gilliat, questioned the libertarian bona fides of the BLCU.

Fried said the problem is that BLCU is a "conservative club marketing themselves as a libertarian club and this interferes with our mission." Fried and Gilliat said something that is conservative by definition cannot be libertarian and that two competing ideologies cannot exist in one coalition.

The BLCU defended the use of "libertarian" in its name and said it did not have a problem with the existence of the Brandeis Libertarians as a separate organization.

Nass, representing the BLCU, fervently rejected Fried's claims that the BLCU is a strictly Republican or conservative group, pointing to members of the BLCU who have interned on libertarian campaigns. "We are a coalition of libertarians and conservatives," said Nass.

The Brandeis Libertarians-until December 2013 called the Young Americans for Liberty-first petitioned the Senate to require the BLCU's name change. The Senate, however, rejected the change. BL then appealed to the Judiciary.

BLCU was called the Brandeis Republicans until its name change in spring 2010.

Judiciary members presiding over the trial were Chief Justice Claire Sinai '15, and Associate Justices Luky Guigui '14 and Maris Ryger-Wasserman '16. Associate Justice Sarah Park '14 recused herself.

Jane Taschman '14 served as clerk of the court.

Editor's note: Aaron Fried '14 is a columnist for the Justice.