A high school coach who was fired for praying at the 50-yard-line after football games is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved…

Joe Kennedy…was not retained as an assistant coach by Bremerton (Wash.) High School following the 2015 season after he prayed…in violation of a district policy. Kennedy’s post-game prayers typically involved him kneeling silently at midfield.

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Kennedy lost his case at the district court and at the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court declined in 2019 to get involved, although four of the justices…said the Ninth Circuit’s reasoning “is troubling and may justify review in the future.”…

“No American should be forced to choose between their faith and the job they love,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel at First Liberty. “The Ninth Circuit’s opinion threatens the rights of millions…who simply want to be able to freely exercise their faith…”…

The Ninth Circuit ruled that the prayers violated the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause…

“[The Ninth Circuit’s decision] converts practically everything public-school teachers do or say during school hours or after-hours functions into government speech that the school may prohibit”…“It converts the Establishment Clause from a protection against state-imposed religion into a cover for suppressing private religious speech…”…

Share a prayer for the free exercise of our faith to be upheld by the Court!

(Excerpt from Christian Headlines. Article by Michael Foust. Photo Credit: Dave Adamson/Unsplash).