<p>On Monday morning, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in <em><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf">Kennedy v. Bremerton School District</a> </em>that a public high school football coach in the state of Washington had his First Amendment rights violated after he was placed on administrative leave by the school district and banned from participating in the football program for praying on the field after games in view of students.</p>
<p>&#8220;SCOTUS sides with a high school football coach in a First Amendment case about prayer at the 50-yard-line,&#8221; SCOTUS Blog tweeted Monday morning. &#8220;In a 6-3 ruling, SCOTUS says the public school district violated the coach&#8217;s free speech and free exercise rights when it barred him from praying on the field after games.&#8221; The case was ruled along ideological lines.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">SCOTUS sides with a high school football coach in a First Amendment case about prayer at the 50-yard-line. In a 6-3 ruling, SCOTUS says the public school district violated the coach&#39;s free speech and free exercise rights when it barred him from praying on the field after games.</p>
<p>&mdash; SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCOTUSblog/status/1541421786759413760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The majority opinion was authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch.</p>
<p>&#8220;Here, a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a brief, quiet, personal religious observance doubly protected by the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment. And the only meaningful justification the government offered for its reprisal rested on a mistaken view that it had a duty to ferret out and suppress,&#8221; Gorsuch <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/high-school-football-coach-scores-big-win-supreme-court-post-game-prayer">wrote</a>. &#8220;Religious observances even as it allows comparable secular speech. The Constitution neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joseph Kennedy, a Marine veteran, was an assistant football coach for the Bremerton High School (BHS) varsity team in 2008 when <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-to-hear-case-about-football-coach-fired-over-praying">he started a tradition of kneeling</a> and praying after games. Some students later volunteered to join him. In 2015, a school administrator addressed the issue with the coach after an opposing team complained.  After an investigation, Kennedy was later placed on <a href="https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20200722_Kennedy_Excerpts-of-Record_ER317-18.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">administrative leave</a> and barred from “participating in any capacity in the BHS football program.”</p>
<p>&#8220;Kennedy’s private religious exercise did not come close to crossing any line one might imagine separating protected private expression from impermissible government coercion,&#8221; Gorsuch <a href="https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/1541422908798558210?s=20&amp;t=e6fOK9NexDXua1mdPiGj0Q">wrote</a> on Monday.</p>
<p>&#8220;Learning how to tolerate speech or prayer of all kinds is part of learning how to live in a pluralistic society, a trait of character essential to a tolerant citizenry,&#8221; the court added.</p>
<p>Non-profit conservative legal organization First Liberty Institute took up Kennedy’s case in 2016, and lost in both district court and at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court also denied the request, but four justices – Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh – issued a statement expressing serious concern about how the school district and the lower courts had understood the First Amendment rights of public school teachers.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton, who again sided with the school district in 2020, as did the 9th Circuit in mid-2021. Attorneys with First Liberty and Kirkland &amp; Ellis <a href="https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/FINAL-Kennedy-Cert-Petition_Redacted.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener follow noreferrer" data-wpel-link="internal" data-feathr-click-track="true">refiled</a> the case at the U.S. Supreme Court in September 2021 and the high court agreed in January to hear it.</p>
<p>In reaction to his victory Monday, Kennedy <a href="https://firstliberty.org/donation/fye-2022-kennedy-victory-popup/">said</a> in a press release, &#8220;This is just so awesome.  All I’ve ever wanted was to be back on the field with my guys.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I am incredibly grateful to the Supreme Court, my fantastic legal team, and everyone who has supported us,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I thank God for answering our prayers and sustaining my family through this long battle.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a tremendous victory for Coach Kennedy and religious liberty for all Americans,&#8221; Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, and Chief Counsel for First Liberty <a href="https://firstliberty.org/donation/fye-2022-kennedy-victory-popup/">added</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our Constitution protects the right of every American to engage in private religious expression, including praying in public, without fear of getting fired,&#8221; Shackleton remarked. &#8220;We are grateful that the Supreme Court recognized what the Constitution and law have always said – Americans are free to live out their faith in public.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong><em>This is a developing story; please check back for updates.</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Dillon Burroughs contributed to this report.</em></strong></p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

Supreme Court Affirms Religious Liberty, Rules In Favor Of Public High School Football Coach Punished For Praying After Games

CONTINUE READING

Looks Like Another Biden-Emboldened Islamic Terror Group Is Joining The Fight

‘Totally Inappropriate’: Trump, Others Blast Biden For Giving Palestinians Fresh U.S. Tax Dollars

Biden To Lift Some Venezuelan Sanctions If They Pinky Promise To Hold Free Elections

Where The Hell Is Biden? President AWOL As Americans Killed, Held Hostage In Terrorist Attack

Hillary Clinton Suggests ‘Formal Deprogramming Of The Cult Members’ Of MAGA

Creep State: SEC Investigates Elon Musk’s Twitter Purchase After Biden Said It Was ‘Worth Being Looked At’

News

Religious Liberty

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

The Pendragon Cycle

Menu

— News —

Supreme Court Affirms Religious Liberty, Rules In Favor Of Public High School Football Coach Punished For Praying After Games