State of Tennessee Settles Lawsuit with Universal Life Church

After the Tennessee state legislature passed a law explicitly barring ministers who were ordained online from solemnizing legal marriages in 2019, the Universal Life Church (ULC) immediately filed suit and were successful in obtaining a restraining order blocking the law from taking effect.

In August of 2023, the ULC began the trial against the Tennessee state officials responsible for upholding the anti-ULC law. During the course of that trial, the Tennessee state officials agreed to hand ULC the victory by settling with the church and declaring that in their jurisdictions no ULC ministers would be prosecuted under the law because enforcement of that law could be a constitutional violation.

The Tennessee Law In Question

In June of 2019, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law that explicitly banned ministers who were
ordained online from solemnizing marriage anywhere in the state. As the largest and most well-
known church providing ordinations via the internet, the law appeared to be aimed directly at the
Universal Life Church and its ministers.

We immediately filed a lawsuit in federal court against several Tennessee state officials to block
the new anti-ULC law from taking effect, arguing that by removing their ability to perform
marriages, the state of Tennessee was infringing upon the constitutional right of ULC ministers
to freely practice their faith. Shortly after that lawsuit was filed, we were successful in convincing the judge to issue a temporary injunction blocking the new law from taking effect.

The Impetus Behind the Law

When the anti-ULC law was initially passed, there were some who theorized that while the law
outwardly targeted the ministers of the Universal Life Church, that there were other, invisible
targets. As a forward-thinking, interfaith, and socially-active organization, we’ve seen that many
of the folks who join and become ordained by the ULC, and indeed those who they marry, don’t
always fit the “traditional mold.”

In barring ULC ministers from solemnizing marriages in Tennessee, some argued, the law
would ultimately have the consequence of prohibiting or limiting interfaith, interracial, same-sex,
or otherwise “non-traditional” couples from finding a minister who would be willing to perform
their wedding ceremony.

Resolution of the Lawsuit

After 4 years since the law was first passed, we won! You can review the full court order here. As part of the consent order, the Tennessee officials pledged that they will never prosecute a Universal Life Church minister for solemnizing a wedding, and acknowledged that denying marriage licenses to couples married by a ULC minister could be a constitutional violation on their part. The Tennessee officials also acknowledge that ULC ministers will rely on the court order to solemnize weddings in the future. We’ve never believed the anti-ULC law was valid, and we are pleased that these Tennessee officials ultimately backed down when their day of reckoning arrived.

The ULC is grateful to its many ministers in the area for their emotional and financial support throughout this ordeal, and looks forward to future successes. The favorable outcome of this case greatly furthers one of the core tenets of the ULC: that every individual is free to practice their religion in the manner of their choosing, as mandated by the First Amendment, so long as that expression does not impinge upon the rights or freedoms of others and is in accordance with the government’s laws.

The Goal of the Universal Life Church’s Blog

The Universal Life Church’s blog focuses on documenting the most noteworthy developments in the fight for freedom of expression and belief. While these issues are often complex, we strive to explain matters in a way that can easily be understood by readers.