Supreme Court Backs Football Coach Fired After Praying on the Field
- Justices voted 6-3 saying school district violated his rights
- Case was one of four religious-rights appeals court heard
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A divided US Supreme Court ruled in favor of a high school football coach who lost his job for conducting post-game prayers on the 50-yard line in a decision that buttresses religious rights and reduces the authority of public schools over their teachers and staff.
Voting 6-3, the court said Bremerton School District in Washington state violated Joseph Kennedy’s constitutional religion and speech rights by punishing him after he repeatedly took a knee, often alongside his players. The ruling adds to a line of recent Supreme Court decisions relaxing the separation of church and state.