Coach Kennedy Latest Confirmed Legislative Day Speaker

New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation is pleased to announce that Coach Joe Kennedy is scheduled to speak at Legislative Day on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

As many Christian New Yorkers may recall, Coach Kennedy is a Christian man who served as an assistant coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Washington. Coach Kennedy had a habit of praying at the 50-yard line on the football field after his team’s games. School district officials asked Coach Kennedy to find a more private prayer location. After he declined to do so, he was given a poor performance evaluation and suspended. Coach Kennedy did not seek to have his contract renewed following the 2015 season.

After Coach Kennedy sued the Bremerton School District for violating his First Amendment rights, two federal courts ruled in favor of the school district. The Supreme Court of the United States, however, took a very different view of the coach’s case. On June 27, 2022, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Court ruled in favor of Coach Kennedy. In his majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch found that the district had violated Coach Kennedy’s rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion. The Court’s decision was a victory for religious liberty, and Coach Kennedy’s courage and perseverance are an inspiration.

Friends, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear Coach Kennedy tell his story. Please click here to register for Legislative Day. We hope to see you in Albany on May 23!