SMU Suffers Blow in Effort to Leave United Methodist Church

The Texas Supreme Court handed Southern Methodist University a setback in its bid to separate itself from the United Methodist Church over a dispute on the issue of same-sex marriage.

In a mostly unanimous opinion Friday, the court held SMU’s conference founder can continue a lawsuit to maintain control of the private school and prevent it from making changes to its articles of incorporation.

State law “does not deprive the Conference of that authority,” the high court said.

The decision is the biggest development in a fight that began six years ago with a vote by the United Methodist Church ...