(ETH) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit again held that the Bremerton School District can ban former coach Joe Kennedy from praying on the field after football games.
A three-judge panel released the decision, written by Judge Milan D. Smith, Jr., on Thursday. “Kennedy’s attempts to draw nationwide attention to his challenge to the District showed that he was not engaging in private prayer. Instead, he was engaging in public speech of an overtly religious nature while performing his job duties,” Judge Milan wrote.
“The District tried to accommodate Kennedy, but that was spurned by Kennedy insisting that he be allowed to pray immediately after the conclusion of each game, potentially surrounded by students. The panel held that the district court correctly granted summary judgment to the District on Kennedy’s free speech and free exercise claims.”
Attorneys representing Kennedy said they plan to appeal the court’s latest decision. Since the Lower Courts again rejected the appeal, the issue could make its way back to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kennedy had previously led players in postgame prayers, but the Bremerton School District ordered him to stop in 2015, saying the practice violated the separation of church and state required by the U.S. Constitution. He lost his job after he defied the ban. READ MORE
