The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to acquit a former Washington high school football coach who had a habit of praying on the field after games — either alone or with his students.
In a 6-3 ruling Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that Joe Kennedy's ability to pray on the sidelines falls under the Free Speech Clause. His First Amendment rights were violated after the school district placed him on leave, then fired him, and banned him from the football program simply because he prayed silently for 15 seconds on the field in front of students after games.
Initially, a federal district court upheld Coach Kennedy's firing. On appeal, his three-judge panel concluded that because Coach Kennedy could be seen by students and fans to engage in religious expression, the school had lawfully terminated his employment and that silent prayer was not constitutionally protected.
In January 2019, the United States Supreme Court declined to review Coach Kennedy's case, but the case returned to the district court to address some of the questions raised by the justices. During the retrial, they again decided against Kennedy, so the case went to the United States Supreme Court.
I vowed to God that I would thank him after every football game, whether we win or lose," recalled the coach. A couple of children joined him, and it went on like this for 8 years. "Then someone made a complaint and an investigation was launched." he noted.
After the sentencing, he said: “It's just incredibly good to know I've done nothing wrong. Everything I did was fine.”
The full article from 888.hu can be read here.
Image: Pixabay
