The United States Supreme Court has once again ruled in favor of freedom of religion. On Tuesday, June 28, the court ruled in favor of Joseph Kennedy and his right to pray after football games.
Kennedy had been praying after each game on the 50 yard line. Some students chose to join him in his prayer ritual, and a controversy erupted. Kennedy, a former Washington state high school football coach, was put on administrative leave after he declined to cease the practice of prayer after each game.
Joseph Kennedy sued the school district in 2016. He argued that the school was violating his freedom of religion and freedom of speech by requiring him not to pray.
“I’d take a knee and thank God for what the guys just did and the opportunity to be a coach,” Kennedy told ESPN. He added, “I wanted to hang out with my players and develop these young men.”
In the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton the court ruled that Kennedy had a constitutional right to pray on the field after games. The court split along ideological lines, voting 6-3, in favor of Kennedy. Justices argued that because the game was finished, and his coaching duties were over, he had the right to pray wherever he wanted.
Last week the court ruled on another religious case. They ruled last Tuesday that religious schools in Maine cannot be excluded from a program that offers tuition aid for private education; that case also had a 6-3 outcome. This decision is the latest in a line of rulings from the Supreme Court that have favored religion when it comes to discrimination claims.
These cases, along with the Roe v. Wade decision, have set a new precedent for this court.
Freedom of speech was protected, and a win for Americans and the Constitution was cheered by conservatives across the country.
– The Byway
Feature image caption: Coach Joe Kennedy. Courtesy Ted S. Warren/Associated Press.