*131.* _Definitions, Minor._—Excommunication, as construed in law, is the official announcement by the superior authority of the termination of membership in a religious body and the forfeiture of spiritual privileges of the church. It is one of the methods of discipline in the nature of expulsion from membership in a fraternity, and the fact of expulsion from a church is conclusive proof that the person expelled is not a member of such church. Whether the excommunication was wrong or not can not be examined into in the courts of the State, and such expelled member can not maintain a suit in relation to church property nor vote for trustees.(238) *132.* _Major Excommunication._—As excommunication _non tolerati_ affects the rights of citizenship, it is not lawful in England nor the United States. To say that A. has been excommunicated in any form, if untrue, is slander.(239) *133.* _Vote, Sentence._—When a vote of excommunication from a church has been passed in the Congregational church and the offender thereby declared no longer a member, the sentence may be promulgated by being read in the presence of the congregation by the pastor.(240) *134.* _Trustees, Disqualified._—The trustees of a church who have been excommunicated are not thereby disqualified in law to act as trustees.(241) *135.* _Devise, Void._—A parent may leave money to a child payable in yearly instalments on condition that said child shall continue to be a member of a particular church and attend the regular meetings thereof, and in case he fail so to do that the bequest be thereupon paid to a missionary society. Such a devise is not contrary to the constitution of the State of Wisconsin and is not void for any other reason.(242) *136.* _Fraternity, Excommunicated, Bequest._—Where a church member was also a member of an insurance fraternity connected with his church, the constitution of which required that every member of the fraternity should be and remain a practical Roman Catholic, when he was excommunicated from membership in the church he thereby forfeited his benefit certificate in such fraternity.(243) Also, a condition that a bequest shall be forfeited if the legatee should not marry a Protestant wife, the daughter of Protestant parents who have always been Protestants, was held to be valid and not an infringement of any constitutional right.(244) *137.* _Action, Expulsion._—An action can not be maintained against the parish corporation for expulsion from the church.(245) *138.* _Forfeiture of Membership_.—Any member may forfeit his membership in a church.(246) *139.* _Insubordination, Expulsion, Hearing._—The authorities in the church, under its rules and discipline, have a right to exclude members in the church, for insubordination.(247) If the church has no rules as to expulsion of members, the common law prevails, and a member can not be expelled without due notice and fair hearing.(248)