SC Supreme Court got it wrong on Episcopal Church dispute

I am outraged by the recent S.C. Supreme Court decision that strips the title of 28 churches in the Diocese of South Carolina and awards them to the national Episcopal Church. As acting Justice Jean Toal wrote in a dissent: “The First Amendment prohibits civil courts from resolving church property disputes on the basis of religious doctrine and practice.”

I might expect this kind of thing to happen in Vladimir Putin’s kangaroo courts or maybe in China. On a very bad day even California. But never in my conservative home state of South Carolina.

The dissent further states: “The lead opinion in this case is nothing less than judicial sanction of the confiscation of church property.” When a court takes away a congregation’s place of worship, it tells me there’s something dirty going on in Columbia.

This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 8:30 AM with the headline "SC Supreme Court got it wrong on Episcopal Church dispute."