Reply Filed in US Supreme Court

A reply has been filed with the United States Supreme Court, marking the final legal step before the justices meet to decide whether to grant a hearing on the South Carolina Supreme Court decision involving our diocese.

The reply brief was filed today with the U.S. Supreme Court by attorneys representing the breakaway group and parishes affected by the August 2017 state court decision. The group petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, asking the high court to hear the case. 

The U.S. Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions for certiorari each year, and hears only a small fraction of them. The nine justices regularly hold conferences to determine which cases merit further review; four of the nine must agree to hear a case for certiorari to be granted. A decision on the South Carolina petition is expected to come before the end of June. If the court chooses not to grant certiorari, no further appeals are possible.