Supreme Court Grants Victory to Reintroduction of Prayer in Public Schools

The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton that public school officials violated the First Amendment rights of high school coach Joseph Kennedy when they fired him in the wake of a controversy stemming from his ritual of praying at the 50-yard line during football games.

The 6-3 opinion authored by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch ruled that public school officials have a constitutional right to pray in schools, as well as to lead students in prayer during school events. The decision is a victory for religious and conservative groups looking to reintroduce prayer in public schools after the supreme court ruled it unconstitutional in 1962.

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Kennedy, an assistant coach at a public high school in Bremerton, Washington, claimed that his First Amendment rights were violated when the Bremerton School District instructed him not to pray publicly after games, for fear it would appear the school was endorsing a particular religion.

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