KGMI News
By Tracy Ellis
BREMERTON, Wash. – The case of a Bremerton high school football coach who lost his job for praying on the field is now in the hands of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The three-judge panel heard arguments Monday in Seattle.
The judges had all sorts of questions for the lawyers.
“Has our analysis turned then on our view of whether a coach is ever, in quotes, ‘off duty’?”
Joe Kennedy is suing the Bremerton School District.
“I want to be a coach, I want to be out there with my young men.”
He claims his rights to free speech and religious expression were violated when the district barred him from praying after games.
The district argues Kennedy violated its policy upholding the separation of church and state.
The 9th Circuit will issue a written decision on Kennedy’s appeal at a later date.