The Judicial Council’s Fall meeting will be held October 21–24, 2026 online. The council’s decisions will be posted the following week.
Filing Deadlines
Deadlines for Submission of Briefs:
- Wednesday, August 19, 2026: Deadline for electronic filing of Briefs. Must be transmitted by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time USA [UTC: 20 August 2026, 06:59].
- Saturday, August 29, 2026: Deadline for electronic filing of Reply Briefs. Must be transmitted by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time USA [UTC: 30 August 2026, 06:59].
- Paper filings must be postmarked no later than the corresponding deadline above: August 19, 2026 for Briefs, August 29, 2026 for Reply Briefs.
Electronic filing forms and forms for paper filing are available on the Judicial Council Forms page.
For paper filings, eight [8] hard copies should be shipped to:
Rev. Angela Brown, JD, Judicial Council Secretary
c/o L. Smith, 1215 Shady Lane, Durham, NC 27712
Correspondence for the Judicial Council should be directed to the Secretary:
Rev. Angela Brown, JD, Judicial Council Secretary, at [email protected].
Docket 2026-4
IN RE: Request for a declaratory decision submitted by the New England Annual Conference regarding the New England Annual Conference resident bishop’s handling of two complaints received in February 2025.
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Docket 2026-5
IN RE: Decision of law by Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank of the California-Pacific Annual Conference regarding the closure of La Trinidad United Methodist Church pursuant to ¶ 2549.4b of the Book of Discipline (2020/2024).
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The Judicial Council continues its review of this matter and is not yet in a position to issue a decision. The Council will reconvene on November 16 for further consideration of the parties’ submissions and statements at the oral hearing. A ruling may not be issued on that date but will be sent to all parties promptly once the decision is reached.
Docket 2026-6
IN RE: Appeal of Jason Smith after remand to the Southeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Appeals.
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