The Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church affirmed California-Pacific Conference Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño’s decision of law in a review held at its most recent meeting on October 24, 2015.

At the 31st Annual Session of the California-Pacific Conference in June of 2015, “a lay member […] requested an episcopal decision on a question of law regarding […] Proposed Rules Change 15-15: Connectional Table.”

The request had four questions which pertained to the constitutionality of the proposed rules change in light of statements, according to the request, made during “discussion and/or debate” that were based on “erroneous assumptions.”

Bishop Carcaño’s decision of law ruled, in summary, that the four questions do not constitute “questions of law” as defined by The United Methodist Book of Discipline and Judicial Council decisions and, therefore, are moot.

In reviewing Bishop Carcaño’s decision of law, the Judicial Council ruled that, “The Bishop’s Decision of Law is affirmed. The questions presented in the request for a decision of law were not proper questions for a Decision of Law. Some were requests for a declaratory decision presented as requests for an episcopal decision of law and therefore moot and hypothetical. Others were hypothetical questions and requests for information and not questions of law.”

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