Supreme Court to hear case of high school football coach fired for praying on the field

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The Supreme Court said Friday it would hear the case of a Washington state high school football coach who was sacked for praying on the field after games.

Joseph Kennedy, who was barred from coaching football at Bremerton High School in 2015, will have his case heard by the high court in April, his attorneys said. The coach was a graduate of the school who coached there from 2008 to 2015.

“Six years away from the football field has been far too long. I am extremely grateful that the Supreme Court is going to hear my case and pray that I will soon be able to be back on the field coaching the game and players I love,” Mr. Kennedy said in a statement.

Mr. Kennedy said he was suspended from the final game of the season in 2015 by the Bremerton School District. School officials said Mr. Kennedy’s private prayer at the 50-yard line — which had been allowed for seven years beforehand — violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which bars governments from establishing a state religion. Students occasionally gathered around him, although he said he never invited their participation. The district offered to let him pray in an off-field press box or “an athletic facility,” but forbade his praying on the field.

The Supreme Court declined to take up the case in January 2019 and asked the lower courts to continue to develop the factual record. In a statement issued with that denial, Justice Samuel Alito said, “The 9th Circuit’s understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers is troubling and may justify review in the future.”

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Justice Alito was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh in the statement.

washingtontimes.com

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The justices, however, likely will schedule arguments this term in the five new cases that they granted. The case of the football coach involves Joseph Kennedy, a practicing Christian whose religious beliefs require him to “give thanks through prayer, at the end of each game.” When he began his job as an assistant coach at Bremerton High School, a public school in Washington state, he initially prayed alone after games, but over time some of his players – and eventually a majority of the team – joined him. One parent complained that his son, a player on the team, felt like he had to join in the prayer, even though he was an atheist, or face a loss of playing time.

SCOTUS Blog

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