Freedom of Speech and Public Prayer | Game Changers

Learn how Joe Kennedy, a football coach at a public high school in Washington State, sued the school district after he was asked to refrain from—and was eventually suspended for—praying at the 50-yard line immediately after games. In 2022, Kennedy’s case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in a 6–3 decision that his right to pray publicly was protected by the First Amendment. The Game Changers: Your Rights in Action series features personal stories of civic engagement and asks students to identify the constitutional or civic right being exercised, the civic strategy employed, and the impact of the civic action.