Supreme Court DECISION – Religious Freedom Wins!
(ConservativeHub.com) – Football coach Joseph Kennedy lost his job for praying on the 50-yard line after games. He challenged the school district in court, and the case made its way to the highest court in the land. On June 27, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the coach, protecting religious freedom.
In the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch stated, “respect for religious expressions is indispensable,” and such rights hold up no matter where they occur. The court held the government mistakenly thought it had the power to suppress religion, but the Constitution protects the right to religious expression. He explained suppressing religious viewpoints equates to discrimination while allowing secular ones.
JUST IN: Supreme Court sides with high school coach who led prayer on football field https://t.co/MvtSKyHiQo pic.twitter.com/KOfG8J64Qa
— The Hill (@thehill) June 27, 2022
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the dissenting opinion for the three Justices who voted against the ruling. She stated the decision violated the principle of separation of church and state, making one person’s religious freedom more important than everyone else’s.
Kennedy made a habit of kneeling by himself at the 50-yard line after games to pray in 2008. He did so privately, but eventually, students, players, and community members began joining him. The crowd attracted the school district’s attention, and they told Kennedy to stop. When he didn’t, they placed him on administrative leave. He later lost his job.
The district claimed he used his influence as a football coach to pressure students to join in his prayers. Kennedy took the case to court and escalated the issue until he reached the Supreme Court.
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