Virginia judge sides with breakaway churches: Upholds Civil War–era law
A Civil War–era law that lets Virginia churches keep their property when leaving a denomination where a “division” has occurred is constitutional, a county judge has ruled, siding with 11 former Episcopal parishes.
Fairfax County judge Randy I. Bellows’s ruling on the 1867 law stops short of awarding the property to the parishes, but it hands them a major legal win.
“It’s a resounding victory and very broad,” said Steffen Johnson, lead counsel for several of the congregations. “There are just a few loose ends to tie up.”