Thread: Supreme Court rejects coach's appeal on team prayer

Court rejects coach's appeal on team prayer
Associated Press - 3/3/2009 5:00:00 AM

SUPREME COURT- The Supreme Court won't review a lower-court decision that banned a high school football coach from bowing his head and "taking a knee" during prayers led by his players.

Marcus Borden had hoped to overturn an appeals court ruling that upheld the East Brunswick, New Jersey, school district's policy barring him and other staff from joining in student-led prayer. But the court on Monday refused to take his appeal.

The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the school district policy is constitutional, but the judges differed on what exactly a coach should do if his team prays. Borden, the East Brunswick coach since 1983, had a long history of leading prayers before he was ordered to stop.

John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, which represented Borden, said Monday's ruling could have a chilling effect on other coaches who want to show respect while their teams pray.

But Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the school district, said Borden had previously led team prayers and promoted religion.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=434532

What an outrageous story! So what if a coach wants to lead his team in prayer. Those that don't want to participate don't have to. There's nothing wrong with praying for the safety of all the players. I say the coach should do it anyway.

Separation of Church and State is not in the Constitutuion.

So they are telling the coach, he can't pray, with other people that are praying? Excuse me. Where is that in the Constitution? Where is it in the Constitution that an employer can tell you that you can't pray?

Dixie

In 1963 in North Hills, Pa a new precident was set and prayer was taken out of our schools. The minority Atheists won and forced all of us to adhere to their religous dictates.

We have seen, the quick and devastating decay of our country's morals since taking prayer and God out of our schools and out of our country. No wonder America has lost her many blessings. This is very wrong.

I wouldn't want to be the Judge that made this bad decision, on the day he is Judged by THE Almighty Judge.

Well then.........I guess this ruling will also put a stop to Muslims not only being released from class, work, or whatever, to pray on schedule in accordance with their religion, but also eliminate the "need" for all of the special prayer rooms and footbaths they have demanded and been awarded.....more often than not through litigation if not the intimidation of threatened litigation.

If the response to that logic is a big fat "No, of course not", then the question.......the very LEGAL question.....becomes WHY is it okay for one religious group to be accommodated and not every other?

IMO it is the seemingly "small cases" such as this one which, if fought through the courts to the bitter end, have more potential than any singular "big case" toward either ending preferential treatment of one group over all others, or reclaiming the rights of Americans who are finding themselves,more and more, being treated as unwelcome guests in our own country.

Originally Posted by azwreath

Well then.........I guess this ruling will also put a stop to Muslims not only being released from class, work, or whatever, to pray on schedule in accordance with their religion, but also eliminate the "need" for all of the special prayer rooms and footbaths they have demanded and been awarded.....more often than not through litigation if not the intimidation of threatened litigation.

If the response to that logic is a big fat "No, of course not", then the question.......the very LEGAL question.....becomes WHY is it okay for one religious group to be accommodated and not every other?

IMO it is the seemingly "small cases" such as this one which, if fought through the courts to the bitter end, have more potential than any singular "big case" toward either ending preferential treatment of one group over all others, or reclaiming the rights of Americans who are finding themselves,more and more, being treated as unwelcome guests in our own country.

Ditto AZW!