Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Bethesda University, et al. v. Seungje Cho, et al.
Paid petition · Court of Appeal of California, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, No. G062514 · judgment March 28, 2024
Before the decision, modestly above the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for counsel with five or more prior petitions here, a circuit split argued in the petition, and a dissent in the court below (flagged in the petition).
Question presented
Bethesda University is a Pentecostal institution that requires its Board members to share its religious faith and to act consistently with its Pentecostal beliefs. Consistent with these requirements, Bethesda removed purported Board members who did not share its religious beliefs. Nonetheless, a California state court adjudicated an intra-faith dispute over the Board members’ religious qualifications, allowing a non-Pentecostal religious faction to usurp control of the University. The question presented is: Does the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine bar courts from adjudicating the religious qualifications of the leaders of a religious institution?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Dominic Emil Draye
Greenberg Traurig
For respondent
Donald Manwell Falk
Schaerr Jaffe LLP
Proceedings
- Feb 24 2025Petition DENIED.
- Jan 15 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/21/2025.
- Jan 13 2025Reply of petitioners Bethesda University, et al. filed.
- Dec 30 2024Brief of respondents Seungje Cho, et al. in opposition filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amici curiae of Religious Leaders filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amicus curiae of Coalition for Jewish Values filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amicus curiae of Foundation for Moral Law filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amicus curiae of Council on American-Islamic Relations filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amici curiae of Association of Christian Schools International, et al. filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amici curiae of Wagner Faith and Freedom Center, et al. filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amici curiae of Religious Colleges and Universities filed.
- Dec 12 2024Brief amici curiae of Christian Legal Society, et al. filed.
- Dec 05 2024Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including January 13, 2025.
- Dec 05 2024Brief amici curiae of Manhattan Institute, et al. filed.
- Dec 05 2024Brief amicus curiae of National Religious Broadcasters filed.
- Dec 03 2024Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 12, 2024 to January 13, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.
- Nov 07 2024Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 12, 2024)
- Sep 26 2024Application (24A292) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until November 7, 2024.
- Sep 23 2024Application (24A292) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from October 8, 2024 to November 7, 2024, submitted to Justice Kagan.