Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
State Supreme Court hears argument over church-autonomy shield in Garner defamation suit
Summary
The state Supreme Court heard argument over whether the Southern Baptist Convention’s internal communications are protected by the First Amendment in a defamation suit by Preston Garner, with justices questioning whether church autonomy is a jurisdictional bar or an affirmative defense and probing factual limits of the case.
The state Supreme Court heard oral argument on whether the Southern Baptist Convention’s internal communications are immune from defamation suits under the First Amendment, in a case brought by Preston Garner alleging the convention labeled him an abuser.
At argument, Daniel Blomberg, counsel for the appellants Southern Baptist Convention et al., told the court that "the First Amendment protects the SBC's internal religious speech here," urging early resolution of church-autonomy defenses and citing the McRaney decision as procedural support. Blomberg argued internal governance and doctrinal questions are intertwined and that forcing churches into discovery would cause irreparable harm to ecclesiastical decisionmaking.
Bryce McKenzie, counsel for Garner, described…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
