• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
HS Football Coach Fired for His Post-Game Prayers Will Have His Case Heard by the Supreme Court

HS Football Coach Fired for His Post-Game Prayers Will Have His Case Heard by the Supreme Court

January 17, 2022
JAMES CARTER AND SHANKER SINGHAM: We’re Free Traders And Trump’s Tariffs Make Sense

JAMES CARTER AND SHANKER SINGHAM: We’re Free Traders And Trump’s Tariffs Make Sense

May 29, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: FCC Commissioner Says Spectrum Auction Could Be ‘Win-Win’

EXCLUSIVE: FCC Commissioner Says Spectrum Auction Could Be ‘Win-Win’

May 29, 2025
Elon Musk’s Time At DOGE Comes To End

Elon Musk’s Time At DOGE Comes To End

May 28, 2025
Federal Court Blocks Trump Tariffs Used Under Emergency Powers

Federal Court Blocks Trump Tariffs Used Under Emergency Powers

May 28, 2025
Marco Rubio To Revoke Visas For Chinese Students

Marco Rubio To Revoke Visas For Chinese Students

May 28, 2025
Hostage Freed From Hamas Reveals Who His Captors Wanted To Win US Election

Hostage Freed From Hamas Reveals Who His Captors Wanted To Win US Election

May 28, 2025
Manhunt Continues For Ex-Police Chief After Prison Escape

Manhunt Continues For Ex-Police Chief After Prison Escape

May 28, 2025
North Korea Has Been Quietly Stealing US Jobs For Years. It’s Made A Killing In The Process

North Korea Has Been Quietly Stealing US Jobs For Years. It’s Made A Killing In The Process

May 28, 2025
Dolly Parton Says She Leans on Her Faith After Husband’s Death

Dolly Parton Says She Leans on Her Faith After Husband’s Death

May 28, 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Ex-Assistant Alleges He Threatened to Kill Her

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Ex-Assistant Alleges He Threatened to Kill Her

May 28, 2025
‘Restoring The Warrior Ethos’: Hegseth Takes Blowtorch To More Pentagon Bloat

‘Restoring The Warrior Ethos’: Hegseth Takes Blowtorch To More Pentagon Bloat

May 28, 2025
Trump Gives Lesson On Negotiation Tactics To Reporter Who Asked ‘Nasty Question’ About His Tariff Strategy

Trump Gives Lesson On Negotiation Tactics To Reporter Who Asked ‘Nasty Question’ About His Tariff Strategy

May 28, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Thursday, May 29, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home FaithTap

HS Football Coach Fired for His Post-Game Prayers Will Have His Case Heard by the Supreme Court

by Western Journal
January 17, 2022 at 12:45 pm
in FaithTap, News
250 2
0
HS Football Coach Fired for His Post-Game Prayers Will Have His Case Heard by the Supreme Court
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

It’s not a touchdown – at least not yet – but it is forward progress.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Friday it will hear the case of a former assistant football coach in Bremerton, Washington, who was removed from his job because he refused to stop praying on the field.

Joe Kennedy, a devout Christian who coached at Bremerton High School, started kneeling and offering silent or quiet prayers that evolved into him giving motivational speeches to players that frequently included religious content and prayer.

After a game in October 2015, Kennedy knelt on the 50-yard line. He was then surrounded by other coaches and players, as well as spectators who came onto the field from the stands.

A week later, after again praying on the field, he was placed on leave. The Bremerton School District did not re-hire him for the following season.

Kennedy sued. What followed was a series of lower court decisions that sided with the school district.

In 2016, a U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma declined to issue a preliminary injunction requested by Kennedy asking the court to have the school district re-hire him immediately.

In 2017, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Kennedy was not entitled to immediately get his job back because he took advantage of his position when he prayed on the field after games.

In 2019, Supreme Court declined to review the case in which the court’s conservative wing made its concerns known.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a concurring opinion joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh that “the Ninth Circuit’s understanding of free speech rights of public school teachers is troubling and may justify review in the future.”

In 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton ruled in favor of the school district’s motion for summary judgment and Kennedy’s lawyers appealed.

We are appealing to the Supreme Court!
The fight has been long, but we are hopeful the Supreme Court will right the wrongs. How long have you been following Coach Joe Kennedy’s story?https://t.co/7FEd9x11OQ

— First Liberty Institute (@1stLiberty) July 21, 2021

On Friday, the Supreme Court announced it would hear the case, according to The Hill.

Kennedy’s attorneys were pleased.

“No teacher or coach should lose their job for simply expressing their faith while in public,” said Kelly Shackelford, the head of First Liberty Institute, which is representing Kennedy, in a Friday statement after the nation’s highest court agreed to hear the case.

“By taking this important case, the Supreme Court can protect the right of every American to engage in private religious expression, including praying in public, without fear of punishment.”

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represents the school district, was less enthused about the Supreme Court taking the case.

She said the district had followed the law, characterizing Kennedy’s actions as “coercive prayers.”

“This case is not about a school employee praying silently during a private religious devotion,” she said in a Friday news release. “Rather, this case is about protecting impressionable students who felt pressured by their coach to participate repeatedly in public prayer, and a public school district that did right by its students and families.”

The First Amendment to the Constitution reads, in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

The case is expected to be argued in spring, with a ruling to follow in June, NBC News reported.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

Tags: First AmendmentFree SpeechReligious FreedomSportsSupreme Court
Do you think this coach will win at the Supreme Court?

Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Yes: 94% (32 Votes)
No: 6% (2 Votes)
Share196Tweet123
Western Journal

Western Journal

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th