Kennedy v. Bremerton School District

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Kennedy v. Bremerton School District

Unbiased Case Analysis:

            Joseph Kennedy was a high school football coach. For years he would pray at the 50 yard line after games. Eventually, the Bremerton School District found out about his actions and asked him to stop. The school district was concerned that the school would be sued for violating the Establishment Clause. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing a religion. Endorsing a religion can be thrown into that definition. Although Kennedy did initially comply, he eventually continued to pray after the games. The school declined to rehire him after the season which Kennedy responded in turn suing the school. Kennedy argued his constitutional rights were being violated by the school. The district school ruled in favor of the school district. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling. The case was then heard and ruled on by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Kennedy. The Court found that Kennedy’s actions were protected by the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment. The Court found that he did not coerce anybody else to pray with him. The school district violated Kennedy’s right to freely exercise a religion by prohibiting him to pray after games. Justice Gorsuch authored the majority opinion. Justice Sotomayor authored the dissenting opinion. The Court’s minority passionately opposed the case’s ruling. They found that the case’s ruling eroded religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

Personal Perspective:

            This was a very interesting case to research. It was very controversial in the Supreme Court, the media, and public. I personally agree with the Court’s decision on this particular case. Joseph Kennedy only prayed after games, and no compelling evidence suggests he coerced anyone to join him. A big question is whether his actions could be considered coercive. As a high school football coach, he naturally has a massive influence on his players. However, determining coerciveness in this instance seems to be subjective to me.

The Court’s decision can be applied very broadly. I agree with the Court’s minority that the implications of this case can be hurtful to upholding the Establishment Clause. Although Kennedy’s prayers were done in a way that was constitutional, other public school teachers and employees might take things too far. The impact of this case will likely to be felt for years to come.

Media Critique and Analysis:

            The media was bitterly divided on Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. This case quickly and forcibly brought out the ideologies of each media outlet. Left leaning outlets such as CNN condemned the Court’s decision. They viewed the ruling as an attack on religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Right leaning outlets such as the National Review praised the Court’s ruling. They saw the ruling as a win for freely exercising religion in public schools and for religious freedom in general. I found that CBS News provided an excellent neutral and objective reporting of the case.

Sources:

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2021/21-418

https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/courts-excellent-ruling-in-coach-kennedy-case/

https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/supreme-court-joe-kennedy-high-school-football-coach-school-prayer-case/

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/27/politics/football-coach-prayer-high-school-supreme-court-kennedy/index.html

Comments

  1. Social medias take on the current political sceneApril 23, 2024 at 1:29 PM

    I really enjoyed reading about this case and your perspective on it. I have to also agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling of this. From my understanding Joseph Kennedy was praying on his own and not forcing others to join in. I also agree that their is a chance other coaches or schools would take this freedom too far or use it for malice. Kennedy was excersicing his right to practice his religion freely, not forcing it on his players. Growing up in the South it is not uncommon for sports teams to pray together. While I am not a very religious person, I have only seen it as a way of protection before players participate in games. It has never been forced or used to imply religion on players.

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