A high school football coach in Washington state was fired for expressing his faith by saying a prayer on the field after football games.
Earlier this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Coach Joe Kennedy’s termination, and now the retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case.
Coach Joe is standing up for faith…but he isn’t standing alone.
Two dozen Republican attorneys general have filed an amicus brief, asking the Supreme Court to take the case and “uphold the constitutional rights” of Coach Kennedy.
One of those AGs, Arizona’s Mark Brnovich, issued a statement explaining his support for the football coach:
“Americans do not abandon their religious liberties at the door of their workplace. Especially at this moment in our country’s history, it is imperative that heavy-handed government be restrained from trampling on our rights to personal expression as recognized and protected by the First Amendment.”
Coach Kennedy hopes the Court hears his case, but not simply so his freedoms can be validated. “The First Amendment really means a lot to me, and it is really terrible today in America that somebody can be fired just for expressing their faith,” said Kennedy. “So I am just fighting so that no one else ever has to go through this and doesn’t have to choose between their job and their faith.”
Pray for Coach Kennedy, and pray that the Supreme Court would hear his case and issue a ruling defending the First Amendment freedoms of all Americans!
