Huffman: Supreme Court ruling ‘took a wrecking ball to the critical separation of church, state’
Another controversial Supreme Court decision is drawing ire from one of the only humanist members of Congress.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s ruling on Kennedy V. Bremerton School District, which he said “took a wrecking ball to the critical separation of church and state, and with it the legitimacy of the highest court in the land.”
“In America, Freedom of Religion includes the freedom to not participate in a religious community, and our children should have the ability to practice any religion – or none at all – without fear of retaliation or pressure,” Huffman said. “That freedom is methodically being stripped away by a radicalized court filled with religious extremists who are stopping at nothing to dismantle the fundamental rights our country has relied on for centuries.”
The 6-3 Supreme Court ruling was in the case of Joseph Kennedy, who lost his part-time job as a football coach at Bremerton High School for leading prayers in the middle of the football field after games even after the prayers began to cause disruptions and the district told him not to. The school district argued the prayers violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over others.
The majority opinion issued Monday stated that the district’s decision not to renew Kennedy’s contract violated his First Amendment rights because he was free to pray privately or with others during a brief lull in his duties at work.
“Respect for religion expressions is indispensable to life in a free and diverse Republic—whether those expressions take place in a sanctuary or on a field, and whether they manifest through the spoken word or a bowed head,” the opinion states. “Here, a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a brief, quiet, personal religious observance doubly protected by the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment.”
The dissenting justices stated in their opinion that Kennedy wasn’t engaging in a private act and repeatedly invited others, including student athletes, to join him. Some of Kennedy’s conduct while doing so also led to “severe disruptions to school events.”
“While the Court reaffirms that the Establishment Clause prohibits the government from coercing participation in religious exercise, it applies a nearly toothless version of the coercion analysis, failing to acknowledge the unique pressures faced by students when participating in school-sponsored activities,” the dissenting opinion states. “This decision does a disservice to schools and the young citizens they serve, as well as to our Nation’s longstanding commitment to the separation of church and state.”
Huffman echoed that Kennedy had “a miles-long track record of performative prayers on the field and consistently” urging students to join him.
“This case was about a public school official pressuring students into active religious practice – potentially against their own belief systems – using his position as a trusted authority figure,” Huffman said. “In an egregious move by the court, the majority opinion blatantly misconstrued the basic facts of the case.”
The Kennedy v. Bremerton School District comes on the heels of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, which was also a 6-3 decision that overturned longstanding abortion rights.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 707-441-0504.
By: Sonia Waraich
Source: Eureka Times Standard
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