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Judicial Council

General Church
Members of the 2016-2020 Judicial Council. (From left) Front row: Deanell Reece Tacha, N. Oswald Tweh Sr., the Rev. Luan-Vu Tran. Back row: Lydia Romão Gulele, the late Ruben T. Reyes, the Rev. Øyvind Helliesen, the Rev. Dennis Blackwell, and the Rev. J. Kabamba Kiboko. (Not pictured, Beth Capen) The Judicial Council released three decisions June 6. Photo by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Church court releases 3 decisions
The United Methodist Church’s top court released the final rulings of its fall docket, including a decision raising constitutional issues with a longtime provision of church law. Looking ahead, the Judicial Council faces more questions related to disaffiliations.
Judicial Council
United Methodist bishops process into the opening worship service for the 2019 special General Conference in St. Louis. The Judicial Council, The United Methodist Church’s top court, released a memorandum that clarifies an earlier ruling on bishop elections. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Church court modifies ruling on bishop elections
The United Methodist Judicial Council has modified an earlier ruling to say that newly elected U.S. bishops will take office on Jan. 1, 2023.
Judicial Council
The Judicial Council’s Decision 1444 released May 10 rules that U.S. annual conference cannot separate from The United Methodist Church under current church law. The decision and other recent rulings by The United Methodist Church’s top court are affecting the current annual conference season. Graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Recent rulings shape annual conference season
As U.S. annual conference season gets underway, the regional church bodies are dealing with decisions by The United Methodist Church’s top court about disaffiliations.
Judicial Council
The Holston Conference’s Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor embraces the Rev. David Graves following his election as United Methodist bishop at the 2016 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Taylor is among the 11 U.S. bishops who retired last year, and Graves is among the bishops now taking on extra work because of the retirements. The Judicial Council issued a decision May 20, addressing the question of whether jurisdictional conference can meet to elect new bishops. File photo by Annette Spence, Holston Conference.

Ruling opens door for bishop elections in 2022
The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that the Council of Bishops has the authority to call jurisdictional conferences to elect and assign new U.S. episcopal leaders but not to change the date when those new bishops take office.

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