Hearing in Orangeburg on Supreme Court decision

After an 85-minute hearing in Orangeburg this morning, 1st Circuit Court Judge Edgar W. Dickson told attorneys he will have more questions for them as he prepares to decide how to implement the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision on church property matters. 

The judge heard only one of the five motions currently before the court in the 85-minute hearing, listening as both sides addressed a “Motion for Clarification” filed by the plaintiffs, the group that left The Episcopal Church.

Attorney for the plaintiffs Alan Runyan spent about 45 minutes on a slide presentation challenging the state Supreme Court’s decision, telling the court the ruling is unclear and that Judge Dickson will need to “decide what was decided.” 

Thomas S. Tisdale Jr., Chancellor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina (TECSC), maintained that the Supreme Court ruling is clear. “Our purpose is to help you and support you in effecting this decision, which is final,” he told Judge Dickson. “And there can be no argument about its finality.”

Representing The Episcopal Church, attorney Mary Kostel focused on Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty’s opinion in the 2017 state Supreme Court decision, noting that he used the word “disposition” in describing the majority ruling to return the property of the Diocese of South Carolina and 29 parishes to The Episcopal Church and its local diocese, TECSC. 

“Nothing Justice Beatty is doing here is inconsistent with what happened in the All Saints case,” she said. “There is no ambiguity.” 

The Episcopal Church and TECSC have asked the court to implement the August 2017 decision, return the property and assets, and order a full accounting. TECSC also has asked the court to dismiss a related lawsuit filed by the breakaway group.