Republican lawmakers and a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence filed amicus briefs this week asking the Supreme Court to take up the case of a Washington state high school football coach who said he was fired from his job for praying on the 50-yard line after a game.
Per court documents, as a coach for the Bremerton High School football team, Joseph Kennedy would wait until players left the field, then he would take a knee in silent prayer. The superintendent of Bremerton School District sent a letter to Kennedy objecting to his conduct, writing that the coach “neglected his responsibility to supervise what his players were doing” during that time and that his on-field prayer “would lead a reasonable observer to think that the district was endorsing religion.” Following the letter, Kennedy’s contract with the school district was not renewed, resulting in his termination.
