Praying football coach asking Supreme Court for his job back

By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — A former Washington state football coach who lost his job for praying on the field after games is making his case before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. Joe Kennedy says the Bremerton School District violated his First Amendment rights by refusing to let him continue praying at midfield immediately after games, sometimes with students joining him.  Kennedy’s effort to get his job back helped earn him an appearance at a 2016 Donald Trump rally and quickly became a cultural touchstone, pitting public school employees’ religious liberties against what his critics describe as longstanding principles separating church and state and protecting students from even subtle religious coercion.