Toobin breaks down what Supreme Court opinion says about the right to religious freedom 01:46 Barbara A. Perry is Gerald L. Baliles Professor and Director of Presidential Studies at UVA’s Miller Center. She was a 1994-95 Supreme Court fellow and is the co-author of " Freedom and the Court: Civil Rights and Liberties in the United States ." Follow her @BarbaraPerryUVA . The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN)What an irony that the central character’s name in the Supreme Court’s most recent school-prayer drama is Joseph Kennedy, the same appellation as President John F. Kennedy’s father. Facing strong anti-Catholic sentiment , Kennedy, the first Irish Catholic to become president, felt compelled to proclaim in 1960 his adherence to strict separation of church and state, assuring opponents that his policies wouldn’t reflect his personal religious views or the teachings of his faith. "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute," the candidate told a meeting of Protestant ministers in Houston. "I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me." Praying football coach says he’s ready to return […]
