Court Hears Arguments In Virginia "Division Statute" Case

Yesterday, a Fairfax County, Virginia trial court heard arguments on the constitutionality of Virginia's 1867 "Division Statute" that allows congregations to vote to separate from their parent body and retain their church property. In an earlier phase of the case, the court ruled that, if the statute is constitutional, it applies to eleven Virginia congregations that broke away from the Episcopal Church. (See prior posting.) Yesterday's Richmond Times-Dispatch reports on the arguments. William Hurd, lawyer for the diocese, argued that the post-Civil War statute was aimed at helping Virginia congregations free themselves from control by religious denominations based in the North. He argued that the requirement the court determine whether a division exists within a denomination unconstitutionally involves the court in theological determinations. Steffen Johnson, representing the break-away congregations, argued that the statute merely provides a neutral test for the court to apply to settle property disputes.