Another controversial case, another historic ruling by the Supreme Court this week. The justices have ruled that a former Washington State high school football coach does have the right to kneel and pray on the football field immediately after games.
The 6-3 ruling was a victory for Joseph Kennedy, who argued that his school district violated his religious freedom.
Since 2008, when he was hired, coach Kennedy routinely offered prayers after games, with students often joining in. He also led and participated in prayers in the locker room.
Long-time local youth football coach Joseph Hooks says he supports prayer in public and the coach 100%. Hooks played football in college and now runs the Montgomery Village Chiefs football program, he says faith has always been a part of his coaching.
“I’ll mention my own faith and say a prayer for the youth and the team, over our practices and our games. I don’t do a team prayer but if this gets overruled everywhere, especially in Maryland, I would. In college we did, so there’s been times that as a player I’ve benefited from that and you feel that. So I believe that the players and parents would definitely appreciate the blessings over their children," Hooks said.
In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the court "consistently has recognized that school officials leading prayer is constitutionally impermissible."
The landmark ruling found that the West Coast school district violated the First Amendment rights of the football coach.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion:
"Both the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect expressions like Mr. Kennedy’s."
The ruling challenges the nation's longstanding commitment to the separation of church and state. Opponents of the ruling say it opens up a dangerous door for schools and students.
7News spoke with Rachel Laser, the President of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the school board in the case. She calls this the biggest blow to religious freedom that the country has experienced in a generation.
“They have to worry that when they send their kids to public school, that their kid could be taught a religion or could be forced to participate in a religious ritual that isn’t their family’s religion. That’s not what we expect from our teachers and our coaches, we trust them with our children. But now the court has opened the door to coercive prayer in public schools," said Laser.
The decision lowers the bar between church and state in an opinion that will allow more religious expression in public spaces.