An assistant football coach – punished
for praying after games – is asking the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to hear his
First Amendment case.
First Liberty Institute (FLI) filed a
lawsuit on behalf of Joe Kennedy in 2015 after he was suspended – then fired –
by the Bremerton School District for kneeling and praying after football games. A federal district court dismissed the
lawsuit and an appeal was turned down by a three-judge panel of the 9th
Circuit. A review by the full court was
refused. Kennedy’s case rallied the
public to his side … because he claims he did not lead a team prayer or join in
prayer as a coach; but a lengthy warning letter from the superintendent claimed
he was doing so and was violating school policy.
A response letter from FLI defended Kennedy’s
right to prayer on the 50-yard line after ballgames, arguing that he did so
privately and it was obvious to anyone watching that he allowed others to join
him but did not lead the team in a prayer.
Last week, FLI and law firm Kirkland
& Ellis LLP are asking the SCOTUS to hear the case. So is legendary college football coach Bobby
Bowden. “We’re obviously very honored to
have Coach Bowden’s support on this case,” says FLI attorney Mike Berry. “In addition to Coach Bowden, we’re very
honored to have quite a few other very high-profile friend-of-the-court briefs
filed, including members of Congress led by Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and
James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and a
number of state attorneys general join.”
Support has also come from the Texas
High School Coaches Association, representing 21,000 football coaches, which
filed a brief in support of Coach Kennedy. “It’ll be a while before we hear anything,”
says Barry, “but that said, we are optimistic and hopeful that the Court will
see the importance of this case, what it means for religious liberty across the
country, really.”
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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