Washington
Praying Washington state football coach asking U.S. Supreme Court for his job back
Six years after dropping his job and repeatedly dropping in courtroom, a former Washington state coach will take his arguments earlier than the U.S. Supreme Court docket on Monday.
SEATTLE — Editor’s word: The above video initially aired March 10, 2022.
The clock ran down on the finish of the homecoming recreation and spectators stormed the soccer discipline, knocking over members of the highschool band — all to assemble round an assistant coach as he took a knee in prayer, surrounded by uniformed gamers.
Six years later, after dropping his teaching job and repeatedly dropping in courtroom, that former Washington state coach, Joe Kennedy, will take his arguments earlier than the U.S. Supreme Court docket on Monday, saying the Bremerton Faculty District violated his First Modification rights by refusing to let him proceed praying at midfield instantly after video games. 4 conservative justices have already expressed issues with how his case has been dealt with.
Kennedy’s effort to get his job again helped earn him an look at a 2016 Donald Trump rally and shortly grew to become a cultural touchstone, pitting public college staff’ non secular liberties in opposition to what his critics describe as longstanding rules separating church and state and defending college students from non secular coercion.
Attorneys for the college district mentioned officers had no downside letting Kennedy pray individually from college students or letting him return to the sphere to hope after the scholars left. However permitting him to hope at midfield instantly after video games with college students there risked being seen as authorities endorsement of faith.
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Whereas Kennedy insists he by no means cared whether or not college students participated within the prayers and he by no means requested them to affix him, not less than one participant — anonymously — later reported collaborating opposite to his personal beliefs, for worry of dropping taking part in time.
“This case is difficult well-established case regulation that has protected college students’ non secular freedom for many years, and that has been supported by conservative and liberal justices alike,” mentioned Rachel Laser, chief govt of Individuals United for Separation of Church and State, which is representing the college district. “If the courtroom guidelines the mistaken means, academics and coaches may strain college students to hope in each public college classroom throughout the nation.”
For Kennedy’s supporters, the ninth U.S. Circuit Court docket of Appeals’ holding within the case would power public college staff to drop their non secular identities on the schoolhouse door — one thing they are saying the Structure doesn’t require.
“If a trainer prays over her lunch within the cafeteria and college students can see her — simply that little blessing over her salad — that is sufficient to terminate that trainer, in line with the college district,” mentioned Jeremy Dys, an legal professional with First Liberty Institute, which is representing Kennedy.
Kennedy, a former Marine whose day job was on the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, started teaching soccer at Bremerton Excessive in 2008. He was new to faith and training and mentioned he was impressed by the film “Going through the Giants” — a couple of Christian highschool soccer coach — to present due to God “on the battlefield” after every recreation.
What started as a solitary follow quickly attracted college students. He agreed, citing the district’s coverage of neither encouraging nor discouraging pupil prayer. Through the years he started main locker room prayers earlier than video games, in addition to group prayers and non secular motivational talks at midfield after them.
The varsity district mentioned it didn’t study Kennedy was main gamers in prayer till it heard it from one other group’s coach in September 2015. Directors informed him he was to not take part in non secular actions with college students, and any of his personal non secular remark have to be both non-demonstrative or ought to happen with out college students.
For a month, Kennedy complied, the district notes in arguments to the courtroom: He prayed on his personal, similar to whereas college students had been singing the battle tune, and the district let him be.
However Kennedy’s legal professionals then insisted he be allowed to renew his prior follow, describing it as a “private” prayer protected by the Structure whether or not or not college students joined him. Kennedy introduced he would resume praying at midfield after video games, and when he did so on the Oct. 16, 2015, homecoming recreation, as Bremerton’s gamers had been in any other case occupied, spectators rushed to the sphere to affix him — as did members of the opposing group.
The district nonetheless didn’t fireplace Kennedy however wrote to warning him. Given his prior statements and actions, his praying at midfield — on authorities property he may entry solely by advantage of his job — could possibly be perceived as college endorsement of faith, exposing the district to potential legal responsibility, Superintendent Aaron Leavell wrote.
“I want to once more emphasize that the district doesn’t prohibit prayer or different non secular train by its staff,” Leavell wrote. “Nonetheless, it should prohibit any conduct by its staff that will function District endorsement of faith.”
Kennedy prayed once more on the sphere after the following two video games: first at a varsity recreation the place nobody joined him, after which at a junior varsity recreation the place he was joined by a state lawmaker. The district then positioned him on go away, and his contract was not renewed.
Kennedy’s legal professionals level out that he stopped participating in non secular exercise with Bremerton college students when requested. What he was truly suspended for was not delivering prayers to college students, however kneeling and praying shortly by himself, they argue.
The federal decide who dominated in opposition to Kennedy, District Decide Ronald Leighton, in contrast his postgame conduct to a director who involves middle stage and prays on the finish of a faculty play: “An inexpensive onlooker would interpret their speech from that location as an extension of the school-sanctioned speech simply earlier than it.”
Because the case made its means by means of the courts, Kennedy misplaced at each flip. However when the Supreme Court docket declined to take the case at an earlier stage, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh referred to as the ninth Circuit’s reasoning “troubling” and mentioned beneath it, “public college academics and coaches could also be fired in the event that they have interaction in any expression that the college doesn’t like whereas they’re on obligation.”
Ninth Circuit Decide Milan Smith steered a trainer who prays over lunch in a cafeteria would not ship a public message the best way Kennedy did. Smith referred to as the narrative posed by Kennedy’s legal professionals — that this was a couple of public worker’s non-public prayer — “deceitful.”
Kennedy mentioned he simply needs to get again to teaching.
“This factor has simply been so blown out of proportion,” he mentioned. “Think about a man going on the market and tying his shoe — you’d by no means know the distinction.”
If you speed in a Maryland highway work zone, be prepared to pay a hefty fine.
A new tiered system of fines will go into place Jan. 1, and drivers could pay as much as $1,000.
Maryland lawmakers passed the Road Worker Protection Act after a driver crashed into a construction zone in Baltimore County in 2023, killing six workers.
“The speeding has got to stop,” said John Seng, who chairs Safe Roads Maryland
That’s what lawmakers are hoping will happen. The new tiered system of fines will be based on how much the driver exceeds the speed limit.
For example, if you’re going between 12 and 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, the fine will be $60. Fines get progressively higher from there — for super speeders going 40 or more over the limit, the fine is $500, if workers are present, it’ll cost you a grand.
“When it’s a work construction zone with a concentration of people simply trying to do their jobs, it sends the message to people that, again, enough is enough,” Seng said. “Well, you pay and you’re going to pay until you slow down.”
The law also requires signs and blue flashing lights when workers are present so drivers will have plenty of warning the work zone is ahead.
“We want everyone to travel safely through our work zones,” said Teri Soos of the State Highway Administration. “Travel at a safe speed, move over when possible and really pay attention to those barrels and those lights and those signs.”
The new law also allows for more cameras in larger work zones and better camera technology to detect speeders.
Advocates say the point is to slow drivers down, but if they won’t, they’re hoping the fines will encourage them to let off the gas.
Last year, nearly 336,000 citations were issued for work zone speed camera violations in Maryland.
Progressive outlet The Atlantic has snagged some of The Washington Post’s top political journalists ahead of the new year.
According to a new report from The New York Times, the outlet is looking to boost its political coverage for the second Trump presidency.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, told The Times, “We want to cover the incoming administration rigorously. I want to build our team with the best political reporters and editors I can find.”
WAPO STAFFER UNSURE PAPER CAN RECOVER AS BEZOS-OWNED OUTLET SHEDS 250,000 SUBSCRIBERS OVER ENDORSEMENT FIASCO
The Washington Post is losing some of its top political writers to rival liberal outlet, The Atlantic. (Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The outlet’s political expansion made waves after it recently snagged two prominent Washington Post reporters for its own roster – The Post’s senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker and national political reporter Michael Scherer.
The Times mentioned that the two prominent journalists will “join a formidable political team at The Atlantic that includes Elaina Plott Calabro, McKay Coppins and Mark Leibovich.”
The outlet wants to hire “roughly a dozen new reporters and editors to beef up its politics coverage,” The Times wrote, citing an Atlantic spokesperson.
The Atlantic is in talks to hire even more Washington Post reporters soon, the outlet said, citing sources familiar with the discussions. It also hired Washington Post national security reporter Shane Harris earlier this year.
The hiring spree comes after a year of success and growth for the liberal publication. The Atlantic announced that it had surpassed one million subscribers earlier this year and has since added over 100,000 more.
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The Atlantic is looking to hire political journalists from rival outlets to cover the second Trump administration. ((AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File))
Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, has a controlling interest in The Atlantic through her ownership of Emerson Collective. She is also a Democratic megadonor and close friends with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, The Post has endured a year of turmoil.
Executive editor Sally Buzbee left the outlet in June in a surprise move that was followed by a newsroom restructuring that insiders have described as “head-spinning” and “poorly handled.”
This all happened as financial woes continued to plague The Washington Post, which has struggled to remain profitable in recent years. The paper lost over $70 million and half of its audience in 2023.
The paper is on track to lose $77 million in 2024.
Just before the election, The Post lost 250,000 paid subscribers, multiple editorial board members and editor-at-large Robert Kagan after owner Jeff Bezos prevented the paper from endorsing a 2024 presidential candidate. The paper was set to endorse Harris before Bezos intervened.
The Washington Post did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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The college football bowl season continues on New Year’s Eve with the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl featuring the Louisville Cardinals facing off against the Washington Huskies.
The Cardinals, who finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and placed fourth in the ACC standings, are on a mission to redeem themselves after a disappointing performance in last year’s Holiday Bowl against USC. Their quarterback, Tyler Shough, leads the offense and was one of three recipients of college football’s Comeback Player of the Year Award, having bounced back from injury to throw for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.
Under the guidance of first-year coach Jedd Fisch, the Huskies have embarked on a new journey, finding themselves in a different postseason bowl after reaching the national championship game last season. Washington will now look to freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. to lead the offense. In the few games he played, he achieved an impressive 76.6% completion rate, throwing for 570 yards and four touchdowns. Williams Jr. is supported by a solid running back, Jonah Coleman, who recorded 1,011 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of kickoff for the Sun Bowl.
Sun Bowl predictions: Louisville vs. Washington
USA TODAY Sports: Majority pick Louisville
- Scooby Axson: Louisville
- Jordan Mendoza: Louisville
- Paul Myerberg: Washington
- Erick Smith: Louisville
- Eddie Timanus: Louisville
- Dan Wolken: Washington
ESPN: Louisville 33, Washington 24
Adam Rittenberg writes: “Louisville certainly wants to avoid a repeat of the 2023 Holiday Bowl, when it allowed 42 points, 372 passing yards and six touchdowns to USC and Miller Moss. The Cardinals certainly could have contended for the ACC title and a potential CFP spot this season, and boast a nice young core with running backs Isaac Brown and Duke Watson. Washington has an eye toward the future after a predictably rocky first season under coach Jedd Fisch. The good news is running back Jonah Coleman will return, and promising quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will get another chance for valuable experience. Other than the Stanford debacle, Louisville played very well down the stretch and should have enough offense to handle Washington.”
College Football Network: Washington 27, Louisville 20
Staff writes: “Washington isn’t facing the same issue, but it will turn the keys of the offense over to true freshman Demon Williams Jr., who has shown flashes in spurts throughout the season. While typically, you wouldn’t want to put money on a true freshman, Williams has the dual-threat ability to mitigate processing issues under center. Would you rather bet on Louisville’s backup redshirt freshman Pierce Clarkson, who has appeared in just two games this year, completing 3 of 4 passes for 11 yards? I expect Williams and Co. to put up enough points to leave the Sun Bowl with a dub over the short-handed Cardinals.”
Tickets to the Sun Bowl with StubHub
Sun Bowl odds, lines: Louisville vs. Washington
The Louisville Cardinals are favorites to defeat the Washington Huskies, according to the BetMGM college football odds.
Odds as of Friday, Dec. 20 afternoon.
- Spread: Louisville (-2.5)
- Moneylines: Louisville (-140); Washington (+120)
- Over/under: 49.5
How to watch Louisville vs. Washington in the Sun Bowl
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 31
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Fubo
- Where: Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas)
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