Six conservative U. S. Supreme Court justices have sided with a high school football coach who prayed on the field after games.
The ruling states the Washington State School District violated former Bremerton High School coach Joseph Kennedy’s free speech and free exercise of religion, when it suspended him in 2015, because he refused to stop his post-game prayers. Kennedy started coaching at the school in 2008 and initially prayed alone on the 50-yard line at the end of games. Students started joining him, and over time he began to deliver a short, inspirational talk with religious references. Kennedy did that for years and also led students in locker room prayers.
“This is a right for everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re this religion or that religion or have no faith whatsoever,” said Kennedy.
The court ruled 6-3 for the coach with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and its liberals in dissent. The justices said the coach’s prayer was protected by the First Amendment.
Writing for the court’s majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote: “The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”
In a dissent on Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the decision: “It sets us further down a perilous path in forcing states to entangle themselves with religion.”
Some analysts believe this chips away at the separation of church and state, and may have some social ramifications.
“I can definitely see more of a push to include prayer within more activities on the local level, especially having to do with public schools,” said Melba Pearson, from the Florida International University Center for the Administration of Justice.
It is certainly a ruling that will keep school administrators busy.
“I think every general counsel of every school district is thinking about this,” said Charlton Copeland, University of Miami Law Professor.
The First Amendment protects free speech and the free exercise of religion, but it also prohibits the establishment of religion by the government of the United States.
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The ruling states the Washington State School District violated former Bremerton High School coach Joseph Kennedy’s free speech and free exercise of religion, when it suspended him in 2015, because he refused to stop his post-game prayers. Kennedy started coaching at the school in 2008 and initially prayed alone on the 50-yard line at the end of games. Students started joining him, and over time he began to deliver a short, inspirational talk with religious references. Kennedy did that for years and also led students in locker room prayers.
“This is a right for everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re this religion or that religion or have no faith whatsoever,” said Kennedy.
The court ruled 6-3 for the coach with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and its liberals in dissent. The justices said the coach’s prayer was protected by the First Amendment.
Writing for the court’s majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote: “The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”
In a dissent on Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the decision: “It sets us further down a perilous path in forcing states to entangle themselves with religion.”
Some analysts believe this chips away at the separation of church and state, and may have some social ramifications.
“I can definitely see more of a push to include prayer within more activities on the local level, especially having to do with public schools,” said Melba Pearson, from the Florida International University Center for the Administration of Justice.
It is certainly a ruling that will keep school administrators busy.
“I think every general counsel of every school district is thinking about this,” said Charlton Copeland, University of Miami Law Professor.
The First Amendment protects free speech and the free exercise of religion, but it also prohibits the establishment of religion by the government of the United States.
Continue reading...
