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Constitutional Law Keyed to Chemerinsky
Kennedy v. Bremerton School District
Citation:
597 U.S. 507 (2022)Facts
Joseph Kennedy worked as a football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington state. For years, he engaged in a practice of kneeling at the 50-yard line after games to offer a brief, quiet prayer of thanks. Initially, he prayed alone, but over time some players joined him voluntarily. The school district became concerned that Kennedy’s actions might violate the Establishment Clause and directed him to stop praying with students. Kennedy complied with not leading students in prayer but continued his personal practice of praying briefly after games. The district then demanded he stop praying where he could be observed by students. When Kennedy continued his post-game prayers, the district placed him on administrative leave and did not rehire him for the following season.
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