U.S. Supreme Court Protects Free Exercise and Free Speech: Rights of Football Coach Who Sought to Pray Privately
In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the School District violated Coach Joseph Kennedy’s constitutional rights when it disciplined him for praying silently at midfield following football games. It concluded that both the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment protected Kennedy’s conduct. The Court further rejected the School District’s assertion that it feared an Establishment Clause violation if it allowed Kennedy to continue with his private prayers.
Press Release: ACRU Fights Relentless Attack on Personal Freedom of Religious Expression
The American Constitutional Rights Union filed an amicus brief in support of Coach Joe Kennedy, who lost his teaching job because he knelt and said a quiet prayer by himself after a football game ended. The Ninth Circuit noted that, because Coach Kennedy taught and coached football at a public high school, his prayer was government speech that has no First Amendment protection and that, even if his prayer was private, the City would violate the Establishment Clause if it allowed the prayer to continue.
ACRU-Supported Lawsuit Strikes Down Mask Mandate in Loudoun County
In a decisive victory for parental rights, a Loudoun County, VA, judge ended a pattern of genuinely appalling behavior by the Loudoun Country School Board. Enforcing a mask mandate against state Executive Order, the board has been responsible for suspending and shaming students, placing them in solitary confinement, and imposing all manner of strict penalties on students and parents.
ACRU Partners with 71 Other Organizations to Protect Religious Liberty
The ACRU, in partnership with Advancing American Freedom, Young America’s Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, and 68 other organizations, filed an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in support of religious liberty in the case of JOSEPH A. KENNEDY v.BREMERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT.
ACRU Files Amicus Brief in Support of SCOTUS Second Amendment Case
The American Constitutional Rights Union filed an amicus brief in support of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association for its Supreme Court case against Kevin P. Bruen, in his official capacity as Superintendent of the New York State Police. As reframed by the Court, the Question Presented is: Whether the State’s denial of petitioners’ applications for concealed-carry licenses for self- defense violated the Second Amendment.
American Constitutional Rights Union Celebrates SCOTUS Decision Protecting Election Integrity
The American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU) applauds a 6-3 ruling of the Supreme Court re-affirming states’ authority to manage their own elections and protect the integrity of their residents’ most fundamental right — voting. ACRU submitted an amicus brief in support of Arizona’s voting integrity measures. “Free and fair elections is a fundamental principle we must protect,” notes ACRU President Lori Roman. “Why does the left continue to oppose the basic election integrity tenet of ‘Easy to vote, hard to cheat?’ We’re pleased the Supreme Court has taken a stand to preserve one of our most fundamental rights.”
