Law360, Texas Justices OK Methodist Church’s Suit Against SMU:

The Texas Supreme Court found the United Methodist Church has the right to sue Southern Methodist University over its attempted split, but in a Friday opinion drew short of saying the university filed false paperwork as part of the breakup.

Justice Debra Lehrmann, who penned the opinion of the court, said the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church has the right to sue the school after the latter attempted to rewrite its governing documents to wrestle control from the church. SMU attempted to cut ties with the church in 2019, after the United Methodist Church endorsed a ban on LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriages within the church. …

In a statement, the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church said Friday’s ruling “supports our original position that SMU must seek the approval of the SCJ when making changes to its amendments.”

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• SMU Sued For Severing Ties With United Methodist Church Following Decision To Strengthen Ban On Gay Marriage And LGBTQ Clergy (Dec. 29, 2019)
• New York Times: SMU Wants To Separate From The Church But Keep ‘Methodist’ In Its Name (Jan. 26, 2025)

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