The Universal Life Church (ULC), which ordains its ministers over the internet, has sued officials in the state of Virginia after these officials indicated that ULC ministers specifically were not permitted to solemnize marriages in the state - in at least one case going so far as to provide a list of approved non-ULC ministers to a would-be couple applying for a marriage license.
SEATTLE, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Universal Life Church (ULC) on May 22, 2025 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia against officials of Augusta County, Virginia and the City of Staunton in Virginia demanding that these officials cease their discriminatory treatment of ministers who were ordained online by the Universal Life Church (Case No. 5:25-cv-00047). The Universal Life Church is represented by the law firms Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Glenn Feldmann Darby & Goodlatte. The unequal treatment of ULC Ministers in Virginia is a blatant violation of the First and Fourteenth amendments to the Constitution.
The ULC has thousands of active ministers across the Commonwealth of Virginia, individuals whose Constitutional and spiritual rights have been denied by inherently unjust Virginia policies. Marriage is indeed a sacred institution, and Virginia's cruel decision limits who may participate in that sacred rite to a select few. The Universal Life Church's legal challenge aims to restore and protect the rights of its ministers in Old Dominion.
The overarching guiding message of the Universal Life Church is that "we are all children of the same universe". Daily, the Church and its ministers work faithfully to deliver this message across the globe. To that end, the Universal Life Church will not be a silent witness to the disenfranchisement of any group. The ULC will not rest until its ministers and members are able to enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all citizens, not just in Virginia but around the world.
The lawsuit, which was brought by the ULC and two of its ministers in the State, names specifically R. Steven Landes (Clerk of Circuit Court for Augusta County, VA), Tim A. Martin (Commonwealth's Attorney for Augusta County, VA), Staci N. Falls (Clerk of Circuit Court for the City of Staunton, VA), and Jeffrey Gaines (Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Staunton, VA) in their official capacities. It asserts that these officials - like most officials acting in these capacities throughout Virginia - have improperly denied the rights of ULC ministers to legally solemnize religious weddings while granting those same privileges to ministers of other faiths - in some cases going so far as to blatantly recommend specific non-ULC ministers to would-be couples filing for their marriage licenses.
One of the most fundamental founding principles of the United States is that individuals should feel free to worship as they see fit. After successful recent legal actions brought by the Universal Life Church in Pennsylvania and Tennessee, Virginia remains one of the only states in the entire country that effectively bans Universal Life Church ministers from solemnizing marriages. The Church is hopeful that a victory in this case will send a clear message to all Virginia officials that discrimination targeting ULC ministers is unconstitutional.
In so blatantly discriminating against ULC ministers simply because they became ordained and congregate through the ULC, Virginia officials have acted in a way that is both illegal and offensive. The Universal Life Church welcomes any opportunity to defend itself and its ministers and looks forward to securing their rights.
Media Contact
Presiding Chaplain G. Martin Freeman, Universal Life Church, 1 2062851086, [email protected], www.ulc.org
SOURCE Universal Life Church
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