High court refuses to hear Iowa ‘spirit of Satan’ case

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court declined yesterday to review an Iowa Supreme Court ruling allowing a United Methodist Church member to sue over a warning that “the spirit of Satan” was at work in her congregation.

The high court without comment rejected an appeal claiming that the Iowa justices had no authority to interfere in what essentially was a religious matter.
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Meanwhile in the Iowa case, “There’s no doubt that the (Iowa high court) ruling was unconstitutional,” said Hiram Sasser, staff attorney with the Plano, Texas-based Liberty Legal Institute, which filed the appeal on behalf of the church. “This case may very well end up back before the Supreme Court in a few years… .”

At issue is a letter written by the Rev. Jerrold Swinton, a former district superintendent of the church, after a dispute among members of the United Methodist Church of Shell Rock drew the attention of church officials.

According to court records, Swinton wrote the letter after speaking with Jane Kliebenstein, a church member.

“Folks, when is enough, enough?” he wrote. “When will you stop the blaming, negative and unhappy persons among you from tearing down the spirit of Jesus Christ among you?”

His letter also called on members of the congregation to acknowledge that “the spirit of Satan” was at work in the church, prompting Kliebenstein and her husband, Glen, to file a defamation suit.

A lower court dismissed the case, but the Iowa Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the lawsuit could proceed. The justices said the letter went beyond ecclesiastical matters and had been circulated outside the congregation.

Jane. Kliebenstein said yesterday that she was happy to hear of the high court’s decision not to hear the case.

“Well, I’m very pleased with that. I’m not allowed to say much, because there will still be a trial… . I’m very happy to hear that,” she said.

Sasser said the case is bound for a local courtroom.

“I sympathize with the judge and jury … they have to delve into internal church procedure and governance in order to arrive at some sort of decision,” Sasser said.

Sasser said there’s no indication why the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, but the action doesn’t reflect on the legal merits of the case. He noted that the Court already had agreed to hear two important church autonomy cases “and I guess it didn’t have any room on the docket.”
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