This activity is part of Module 10: The First Amendment from the Constitution 101 Curriculum
CORE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION(S):
Did a public school violate the First Amendment by firing a high school football coach for praying at school football games?
FACTS:
Joseph Kennedy, a high school football coach, engaged in prayer with a number of students during and after school games.
His employer, the Bremerton School District, asked that he discontinue the practice in order to protect the school from a lawsuit based on violation of the Establishment Clause, but Kennedy refused.
After being suspended by the school district, Kennedy sued it for violating his rights under the First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
RULE:
The Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in a personal religious observance from government reprisal and the Constitution neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress such religious expression.
DECISIONS:
In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court held that Bremerton School District’s discipline of high school football coach Joseph Kennedy for praying after football games violated Kennedy’s rights to free exercise and free speech under the First Amendment.
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