For years, top legal minds have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to settle property fights between big national churches and breakaway congregations.
For years, they have been turned away before ever reaching the court's marble steps.
Whether a South Carolina case becomes the one that finally lands in the high court is a question that soon will be answered. The case could make history and carry implications for disputes that have divided other religious denominations throughout the country.
If a state court ruling stands, The Episcopal Church would reclaim $500 million worth of property occupied by South Carolina parishes that split from the national body.
But in a private meeting June 7, nine justices are set to consider whether the parishes from the Grand Strand to the Lowcountry should have another chance to make their case. A review would require a "yes" vote from four of them. An announcement might come as early as June 11, though the justices could delay it.
It would be the first legal dispute from the Palmetto State to fall under the court’s review since 2013, when a landmark decision allowed a James Island couple’s adoption of a Native American toddler known as Baby Veronica.
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