The United Methodist Church recently filed a joint brief in Fairfax County Circuit Court arguing that the state of Virginia’s division statute, which permits a majority of the congregation to decide the fate of church property in the event of split, violates the First Amendment.
 
Earlier this month, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows ruled that the “division statute” applies to a case in which the Diocese of Virginia has sought to be declared the rightful owner of property belonging to 11 congregations where the majority voted to leave The Episcopal Church in 2006.
 
In January, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell filed a motion to intervene and a brief in which he defended the constitutionality of the Virginia statute. Oral arguments on the statute's constitutionality are scheduled to be heard by Judge Bellows next month.
 
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