This is a huge win for the First Amendment!
Back in 2008, Joseph Kennedy became the coach of Bremerton High School’s football team, and after each game, Kennedy — who is a Christian — prayed on the 50-yard line by himself, Fox 13 reported. After a while, students joined him in prayer which led to religious talks from Kennedy towards the team, and the prayers also expanded to the locker room.
After a few years of this went by, the Bremerton, Washington, school district requested Kennedy to stop (citing freedom of religion), which he complied with, however, he continued his 50-yard line prayers at the end of football games, the outlet noted. And things ratcheted up even more from there.
The school flat out told Kennedy that he didn’t have the freedom to pray while he was “on duty,” but Kennedy didn’t listen and continued to pray. In response, the school district placed him on paid leave, the outlet reported.
So how did Kennedy respond?
With a good ol’ fashioned lawsuit, taking the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and back in August 2022, they ruled that Kennedy had the right to pray and that he could continue to do so on the football field — he won!
We’re now finding out that not only can Kennedy continue to pray, but back in October 2022, the court ruled that the school district had to give him his job back by the end of March. And on top of that, my man is getting paid, receiving a near $2 million settlement that was approved by the school board March 6, the outlet reported.
WINNING!
Coach Joe Kennedy tells me he didn’t receive a “warm, fuzzy” reception after winning his Supreme Court case and returning to work: “They seemed to have taken a side like they just lost something…You just GAINED your First Amendment rights. Why aren’t we ALL celebrating this?” pic.twitter.com/Vk0f1zyHLX
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 17, 2023
Huge, huge win for the First Amendment!