Jan 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal by a Christian former high school football coach who was suspended from his job at a high school in Washington state for refusing to halt his practice of praying at mid-field after games – a case that could expand the religious rights of employees of public institutions. The justices took up an appeal by Joseph Kennedy, who served as an assistant football coach in the city of Bremerton, of a lower court ruling that rejected his claims that the school district’s actions violated his free speech and religious rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled against Kennedy, determining that local officials would have violated the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion if they let Kennedy’s prayers and Christian-infused speeches continue. Kennedy served as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Bremerton High School, from 2008 to 2015. At issue in the case is whether, as a public employee, Kennedy’s religious devotion alongside players on the football field constituted government speech, which can be regulated under Supreme Court precedents, or […]
