Memorandum Number 1495
IN RE: Petition for Declaratory Decision from the Council of Bishops on the Meaning, Application, and Effect of ¶¶ 55 and 2602.1 of the 2016 Book of Discipline.
Statement of Facts
On April 10, 2024, the Council of Bishops submitted to the Judicial Council a Petition for Declaratory Decision with the following questions:
(a) Does the sentence “A member’s term of office shall be eight years” in ¶ 2602.1 mean that a person elected to the Judicial Council at the 2016 General Conference has served one eight-year term and must stand for re-election at the 2020 General Conference to be held in 2024 if the person desires to continue to serve on the Judicial Council?
(b) Does ¶ 55 of the Discipline give the General Conference authority to enact legislation to modify ¶ 2602.1 and determine whether a person elected to the Judicial Council at the 2016 General Conference has served one eight-year term and must stand for re-election at the 2020 General Conference to be held in 2024?
Digest
The Judicial Council declines jurisdiction. The Constitution provides in ¶ 55: “There shall be a Judicial Council. The General Conference shall determine the number and qualifications of its members, their terms of office, and the method of election and the filling of vacancies.” [emphasis added]
April 22, 2024