AG Paxton Urges SCOTUS to Uphold First Amendment Rights of Public Employees

Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General 

AUSTIN – (News Release) Attorney General Paxton, together with Arizona, Alaska, and Florida, is leading a 27-state coalition urging the United States Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that failed to uphold the constitutional rights of a Bremerton High School football coach in Joseph A. Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. Coach Kennedy was fired by the school district for praying alone on a school football field in front of students.  

“The Ninth Circuit’s opinion discriminates against Coach Kennedy and threatens the very core of First Amendment liberties,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Our Constitution secures to all Americans the rights of conscience, and I will fight against this travesty of justice that persecutes an American merely for expressing his faith.” 

Coach Kennedy has been battling the Bremerton School District since 2015. 

To read a copy of the amicus brief click here.