The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the case of a high school football coach who lost his job after praying on the field with players. The coach says the school district violated his constitutional rights to free speech and free exercise. SCOTUS pra...
— and a ruling in favor of Kennedy could usher in a new era where prayer is more widely accepted in public schools.
Kennedy's practice of praying on the field continued for seven years without incident. But that changed in September 2015, when an opposing team's coach told Bremerton High School's principal that Kennedy asked his players to join him for the post-game prayer and"thought it was pretty cool" the district would allow such activity.
The district court and 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals both rejected Kennedy's First Amendment claims, and the Supreme Court rejected his appeal of the lower court's decision in 2019, with four justices saying it was premature to hear the case at that time. But Justice Sonia Sotomayor said there were extensive statements from Kennedy detailing his responsibilities as a coach, including to remain for two hours after the game and escort the players off the field, that suggested he was on-duty when he prayed.
But Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested there is a difference between a coach addressing the team in the locker room and when players are disbursing after a game, indicating the players did not have to participate in Kennedy's post-game prayers.
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