The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which President Trump previously chastised for having “a terrible record,” has issued a ruling that indicates that praying on a school football field is unconstitutional.
Joe Kennedy, a football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington, had been praying at the 50-yard line since 2008, and was frequently joined – voluntarily – by players.
When officials took issue with it, Kennedy said he agreed to pray by himself.
“I really tried to meet with the school halfway with everything,” the coach said in an interview. “They didn’t want me to pray with the kids, and I said, ‘That’s fine. Your rules. But I’m not going to give up my beliefs just because it made somebody feel uncomfortable.’ So I agreed that I would just do it by myself on the 50 alone, the way it first started out.”
The problem, according to the 9th ‘Circus,’ is that Kennedy was praying on the field where parents and teachers could still see him. This made his actions, as a public employee, unconstitutional.
Via Fox News:
A three-judge panel ruled the Bremerton School District was justified in suspending Coach Joe Kennedy after he took a knee and prayed silently at midfield after football games.
“When Kennedy kneeled and prayed on the fifty-yard line immediately after games while in view of students and parents, he spoke as a public employee, not as a private citizen, and his speech therefore was constitutionally unprotected,” the 9th Circuit wrote.
Kennedy, who served as an assistant coach at Bremerton High School from 2008-2015, was ordered to refrain from bowing his head, taking a knee or doing anything that could be perceived as praying on public school property.
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Feel free to guess what the 9th Circuit’s ruling would be right now if Kennedy were Muslim and wanted to pray on his own. Feel free to guess what the media coverage would be if that same scenario took place. Feel free to guess how many politicians would have stepped up to defend the coach if his religion were different.
“The argument that the 9th Circuit has adopted is basically that if you do anything that’s religious at all that someone else can see, then somehow you’re working on behalf of the state and you’re conveying a religious message,” said Kennedy’s attorney, Hiram Sasser.
Sasser said his client might take this case to the Supreme Court.
The good news is that the 9th Circuit has a terrible track record when their rulings move to a higher court.
…the Ninth Circuit, which has a terrible record of being overturned (close to 80%). They used to call this “judge shopping!” Messy system.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017
Indeed, according to SCOTUSBlog’s Supreme Court statistics archive, the Supreme Court reversed 79% of cases it reviewed from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Perhaps they can restore some sanity in regards to praying before or after a football game.
“I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps, and it’s been about protecting the freedom of other people,” Kennedy said when an initial investigation took place in 2015. “It’s about the freedom, and people can believe whatever they want. I’m just exercising my right. The game is over, and I just thank God for every one of these young men that are out here.”
Former “The View” co-host and Full House star Candace Cameron Bure previously defended the coach’s decision to continue to pray.
“If people would actually put more effort into prayer than to fight prayer, you would see a whole difference in this country to see that power of prayer,” she said.
Amen.
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What is the difference between Joe Kennedy taking a knee on the 50 yard line after a game, and Colin Kapernick taking a knee on the 50 yard line before a game?
You support one and oppose the other.
Why is a Federal judge ruling on the actions of a local or even a state employee? Why is this considered a Federal case.
The coach’s actions did not “establish a religion” or otherwise “prohibit the free exercise thereof”. Furthermore, the First Amendment addresses the actions of Congress in making law.
Seems like we have wandered far afield form our roots.
If anyone could present any real, valid, actual evidence your god, or any god, was real, they would not only have been awarded a Nobel Prize, they would be the most famous person on earth! And, they would be very rich!
If there was any real, valid, actual evidence, what so ever, your god, or any god, was real, then there would not be the multi-millions of formerly programmed religious robot Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc., who are now ALL Atheists!
Hopefully, someday soon all of you poor programmed religious robots will realize the same thing which those multi-millions of formerly programmed religious robots have already realized. It being the only reason you believe all these religious myths and in your non-existent gods is simply because, before the age of reason, you were, as babies, children and teens, programmed to believe in the same religion and god, or gods, those who raised you believed in.
neil,
So you want everyone to disregard their “Freedom of Religion” while you enjoy your freedom of speech. Both constitutional rights.
What someone believes in, is in all actually, none of your business.
There is nothing wrong with you accepting folks for what they are (that is what you want folks to think about you) and go on about your life.
Those who complain about the courts decision are displaying the typical selfishness and inconsideration of others so many Christians display and this includes the coach. They should get a clue that today are not only 25% of ALL Americans, ATHEISTS, but some EIGHTY MILLION are Believers in religions other than Christian!
the 9th circuit court can be dealt with very easy, trump can make it where nothing goes before then that impacts the nation as a whole, trump and the justice department can not fire those judges because they are life time appointments but he can turn them into traffice court judges b allowing them to have no cases that can harm the united states. with an 80% reversal rate they should all be removed from the bench as it is clear they do not understand or uphold the laws of the united states!
quas
The only Judges that have life time appointment is in then Supreme Court. I do believe.
If this had been the National Football league, the decision would have been laughable. Unfortunately, “A public employee is a person who is EMPLOYED BY A GOVERNMENT AGENCY and includes the employees of a municipal, county, state, or federal agency or STATE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.” Source: https://definitions.uslegal.com/p/public-employee/
They got angry because PLAYERS from BOTH teams would come out onto the field and JOIN HIM in prayer.
YOU GOT TO TAKE THISS THE SUPREME COURT
There are a lot of ways to pray , where no one knows what your doing.
I have done such many times.
KAN the godless judges of the 9th Circuit, better yet dissolve the entire circuit all together. When ignorant judges think they can dictate a mans conscience, it’s time to REMOVE them. Retire them early so they can live out their lives as godless at they please. One day when they face God, the REAL JUDGE, they will wish they never took the Earthly bench.
The 9th Circuit Court gets overturned most of the time anyway, and they are not justices who adhere to the Constitution. The judicial system has made these backward moves in our country, not the people. It’s judicial overreach, plain and simple.
First, this case is wrongly decided based on controlling legal authority already in place.
Second, when it comes to fundamental rights, never ever try to meet anyone, including your employer or the government half-way. Let them know you will fight and will drag them through litigation that will be just as costly to them as any ACLU or Atheist lawsuit will be.
Hey., ISIS.
Your mother wears combat boots and your so-called god is a phony.
Signed: 9th Circuit of Federal Judges
With all the sadness and horror in this world, where people are denied basic human rights, it is so refreshing to see good christian people pray to God for a winning team? Get a Life
Nothing but a bunch of liberal judges who think they know more than God. Just leave them be, God said “revenge is mine.” When the time comes He will strike them down like a bolt of lightning.!!!!!
Johnny, so if the coach was Muslim and took his prayer rug out to the middle of the field to pray before the game, you’d be okay with that. Right?
If the coach were Muslim the court would not have ruled against praying in the open on the field.
FYI, as any and all gods only exist in the minds of either the crazy, or in the minds of those who were, as babies and children, and before the age of reason, PROGRAMMED to believe in the same religion and number of gods those who raised them believed in, it is very easy to know more than your god or any god.
these people have become so weaken into their own flesh that they probably would not know how to pray to start with the left has become so corrupted that they don’t know right from wrong and the 9th Circuit Court Judges needs to go they are all Liberals Judges,don’t matter where I am if I have the need to pray or what position I have in a job I will pray that is my God given right.I’m am sick of the crybabies that moan and cry and complain at everything.I hope he takes it to the highest court and it burns all three Judges a new one
The 9th circuit has the worst and the most poorly educated people of any court in the country. They are afraid of Christians but if you worship anything else, that is just fine and protected. The coach needs to contact one of the not for profit law firms in the country who defend our religious rights as posted in the Constitution. Hopefully, Pres. Trump will be in a position to replace all the ignorant judges on the 9th circuit.
Rotten leftards. Probably obama judges.
YES, I SUPPORT PRAYER IN ANY FASHION, IF AND WHEN YOU HAVE AN SUDDEN PASSION TO PRY BEST TO GO RIGHT AHEAD AND DO IT, THERE MAYBE SOMEONE VERY SPECIAL NEEDING IT AND A BLESSING FOR YOU WHO WILL ANSWER GODS REQUEST.
You people are cookoo! You don’t have an inkling about the legal structures in the country.
We understand the Constitution better than you.
It seems you do not!
We need to demand these judges resignations because they are misinterpreting the Constitution especially the Bill of Rights. We need to make remove of incompetent federal judges easier.
They are badly and sadly mistaken. The Constitution gives us freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. They will lose this one. It will go to the Supreme Court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptp9rL5ZS-c
Thank you for posting this.
FYI, Oh So Illogical One, Freedom OF Religion DOES include the Freedom FROM Religion!
And any intelligent, informed. logical and rational person who is not a Programmed Religious Robot, knows religion is the cause of bigotry, prejudice, misery, hate, discrimination, many wars and most terrorism!
No Neil, the cause is people.