FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2022

Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey files Supreme Court brief in support of coach who prayed at 50-yard line.

We all benefit when freedom flourishes.

Yesterday Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of Coach Joseph Kennedy, who was fired from a public school in Washington State after he prayed briefly at the 50-yard line.

Kennedy began saying a brief prayer following games years ago. Initially he did so alone, but some students asked him what he was doing. When they asked if they could join, he responded, “This is a free country,” and “You can do what you want.” When the school learned what he was doing, it demanded he stop, but he felt responsible to thank God for the games in that way. As a result, he lost his job.

At issue before the Supreme Court is whether the First Amendment speech and religious rights protect Kennedy’s brief prayer following games, and whether the Establishment Clause justifies his dismissal.

“We all suffer when our First Amendment freedoms are violated,” said Len Deo, Executive Director for Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey. “A free society should not single out a person’s religious speech for unfavorable treatment.”

The Supreme Court’s modern Establishment Clause cases discuss fostering neutrality towards religion. But when all kinds of controversial speech by teachers is permitted and only religious speech is silenced, it sends a message not of religious neutrality but of hostility toward religion. A short prayer following a game, joined in only by those who wish to join, hardly amounts to an establishment of religion, particularly when the school was clear that it had nothing to do with Kennedy’s activities.

A copy of Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey’s brief can be found on the Supreme Court website here. Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey is a state-based organization advocating for policies that serve parents, students, and teachers in the state.

Media Contact:

Robert Noland, (719) 308-2822, Media@FamilyPolicyAlliance.com

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Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey advances biblical citizenship and promotes public policy that protects religious freedom, families, and life.