The Judicial Council refused to reconsider its previous Decision 1517.

The Judicial Council ruled that Mississippi Annual Conference's attempt to create a church exit process using ¶2549 after ¶2553 expired was illegal and void.

The Judicial Council ruled that the Dakotas Annual Conference improperly used church closure procedures as a pretext to allow Embrace UMC to leave the denomination with its property, violating the Trust Clause.

The Judicial Council clarified that pastors have sole discretion over performing marriage ceremonies and that local church trustees cannot prevent pastors from using church facilities for religious services, including same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The Judicial Council reviewed a bishop's legal ruling about clergy serving disaffiliated churches, reversing one ruling as improper but affirming another as correctly identifying a hypothetical question.

The Judicial Council ruled that annual conferences cannot use church closure procedures in ¶2549 as a way for local churches to leave the denomination with their property. Only General Conference has authority to create pathways for disaffiliation.

The Judicial Council clarified that only 'active' deaconesses have voting rights in Annual Conference, even though some Discipline paragraphs omit the word 'active' when referring to deaconesses.

The Judicial Council stayed a property dispute between United Women in Faith and the Liberia Annual Conference over property in Liberia, waiting for a civil court to first determine ownership. Both parties must follow Discipline provisions regarding property use regardless of who owns the property.

The Judicial Council ruled that new provisions allowing Church Councils to petition annual conferences for church closure are unconstitutional because they bypass the proper authority of Charge Conferences.

General Conference asked the Judicial Council to rule on whether jurisdictions now have the same power as central conferences to adapt church law. The request came too late in the conference for a ruling, so it was postponed to fall 2024.

The Judicial Council clarified that bishops must serve one full quadrennium in their electing jurisdiction before being transferred, and that ¶407 only governs initial bishop assignments, not transfers.

The General Conference petitioned for clarity on whether deaconesses have the right to be members of, participate in, and vote at Annual Conference sessions. The Judicial Council deferred this matter to its Fall 2024 docket.

The Judicial Council ruled that local church boards of trustees can adopt policies prohibiting same-sex marriage ceremonies on church property without violating disciplinary provisions about pastoral use of property.

The Judicial Council ruled that the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy has authority to recommend the number of bishops in all jurisdictions based on newly amended paragraph 404.2.

The Judicial Council clarified that bishops must serve a full four-year term (quadrennium) in their electing jurisdiction before becoming eligible for transfer to another jurisdiction.

The Judicial Council ruled it cannot review proposed constitutional amendments about Regional Conferences because they haven't been ratified yet. The Council can only review legislation that doesn't require constitutional changes.

The Judicial Council clarified that mandatory retirement rules for elders don't apply to bishops, and that Central Conference bishops must retire under the 2012 rules within one year of General Conference if they meet age requirements.

The Judicial Council ruled that the General Conference must find and elect at least one youth to serve on the Commission on the General Conference, even if no youth delegates were elected to General Conference.

The Judicial Council ruled that general agency members elected in 2016 can serve a second term if re-elected in 2024, treating their extended 8-year service as one quadrennium due to the delayed General Conference.