May Coach K pray?
Nathan Vis, a member of Cornerstone PRC and practicing attorney, analyzes the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which upheld a public school coach's right to engage in silent prayer on the field. The article examines how this landmark ruling affects religious freedom protections for Christian employees in government and municipal positions, demonstrating the compatibility of free exercise and free speech rights with the First Amendment.
The scene is Bremerton (WA) High School, and the year is 2015. Following a game, football coach Joseph Kennedy kneeled on the 50-yard line in silent prayer. He understood that this action would likely result in a termination by the public school district for which he worked. After months of repeated requests from the school district that Coach Kennedy cease his public prayers, he did, indeed, lose his job. The coach, in turn, sued the school district.1 After his case worked its way through...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org