Football Coach Denied Further Appeal Over Midfield Prayers (2)

A sharply divided full Ninth Circuit declined Monday to review a lawsuit by a Christian high school football coach who says his free speech, religious expression, and job bias rights were violated when he was suspended after refusing to stop praying on-field immediately after games.

The decision not to rehear en banc Joe Kennedy’s claims against the Bremerton, Wash., School District under the First Amendment and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act lets stand a March 18 ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that upheld dismissal of the case. ...