Supreme Court To Hear Appeal Of Former Public High School Coach Fired For Holding On-Field Team Prayers

Reuters reports:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal by a Christian former high school football coach who was suspended from his job at a high school in Washington state for refusing to halt his practice of praying at mid-field after games – a case that could expand the religious rights of employees of public institutions.

The justices took up an appeal by Joseph Kennedy, who served as an assistant football coach in the city of Bremerton, of a lower court ruling that rejected his claims that the school district’s actions violated his free speech and religious rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled against Kennedy, determining that local officials would have violated the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion if they let Kennedy’s prayers and Christian-infused speeches continue.

The Christian Post reports:

“No teacher or coach should lose their job for simply expressing their faith while in public,” Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty, a law firm based in Plano, Texas, which is helping to represent Kennedy, said in a statement.

“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.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence; Tommy Bowden, son of legendary football coach Bobby Bowden; NFL Hall of Famer Steve Largent; and three-time Super Bowl winner Chad Hennings are among many others who filed “friend-of-the-court” briefs urging the Supreme Court to take the case, the law firm said.

Some students have said they felt compelled to join the coach for the prayers lest their relationship with him and their playing time be affected.

Kennedy, unsurprisingly, has been a darling of Fox News in the years since he was fired and is trotted out regularly as a victim of the “anti-Christian” left.