In today’s episode of Interactions, we discuss the ongoing court case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District with Ira “Chip” Lupu and Holly Hollman.
The case concerns a public high school football coach in Washington State who argues that he has the right to pray on the fifty-yard line of the field after each game—and that his high school players should be allowed to join in. Coach Kennedy argues that his “brief and quiet” prayer is private speech protected under the First Amendment and the Free Exercise clause. But his position as a football coach at a public school means that his prayer could actually be in violation of the wall of separation between church and state.
Ira, nationally recognized scholar in constitutional law, is professor of law emeritus at George Washington University and coauthor of Secular Government, Religious People. Holly is a leading expert on religious liberty and general counsel at Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). She is also cohost of the Respecting Religion podcast with BJC executive director Amanda Tyler and adjunct faculty at Georgetown University.
Is Coach Kennedy’s prayer public or private speech? Does it violate the establishment clause? And should teachers be allowed to pray with students in public schools?
Find out in today’s episode of Interactions.
Legal scholars to speak in support of Coach Kennedy were invited to the discussion but declined to participate.
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Subscribe to Holly's podcast, Respecting Religion, on Spotify. Her amicus briefing, written in tandem with Christopher C. Lund, Douglas Laycock, and several denominational groups and referen
