One man took a childhood of anger and pain and turned it into a testament to the Lord — one that captured an entire nation’s attention and ultimately freed public-school employees from unlawful attempts to silence their faith.

Coach Joe Kennedy returned to the football field Friday night, thanks to his big win at the U.S. Supreme Court, in which we filed a powerful amicus brief. But it was our case of Shurtleff v. Boston that rejected the 1971 case of Lemon v. Kurtzman which paved the way.

Our First Amendment rights, particularly for Christians, remain under attack. But we can win when we fight back and stay the course.

Read on to learn more of Coach Kennedy’s story and our latest Supreme Court case against the multibillion-dollar abortion mill trying to bury investigative journalism and bankrupt a 70-year-old grandmother along the way. —Mat

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"Growing up, I didn't have love,” Joe Kennedy says. “I was a very angry kid.” Joining the Marine Corps gave Joe a love for his country. And his relationship with the Lord instilled a love for people.  

After 20 years with the Marines, Joe wanted to give back in a broader way. He landed a job coaching high school football at Bremerton High School on Washington’s Pacific Coast. “I got to be out there helping young men become better men,” Kennedy says.

But Joe’s silent expression of faith collided with the secular school district. Like Joe, Sandra Merritt ran into an even bigger buzz saw. She exposed the practice of harvesting baby body parts and selling them to the highest bidder. Planned Parenthood wants to bankrupt and silence Sandra. Now her case is pending at the High Court.

For seven years, Coach Kennedy would kneel on the 50-yard line at the end of each game, thanking the Lord for keeping the players safe, and for the opportunity to mentor these young men.  

But in 2015, the Bremerton School District FIRED Coach Kennedy for silently praying on the field. The firing, Kennedy says, was “crushing.”

A lengthy court battle ensued. No one should have to face "losing their job or having to choose between their faith and their job,” says Kennedy. “No American should ever have to deal with this.”

On June 27, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Coach Kennedy and his First Amendment rights, citing Liberty Counsel’s win in the Christian flag case, Shurtleff v. Boston. What was meant to harm, God turned around for good by wiping away the terrible 1971 “Lemon Test.” This is now a new day for religious freedom!

Liberty Counsel is headed back to the Supreme Court. Fund our crucial work defending the First Amendment!

On September 1, 2023, eight years after he was unlawfully fired for praying, Coach Kennedy returned to the field.

It was a packed house at the Bremerton High School football field. Players and families from Kennedy’s earlier coaching days filled the stands, cheering the restored coach. At least a dozen of the players painted crosses on their faces as they lined up for the first play.

“Coach, that was for you!” hollered one of the boys after he made his first touchdown. “Welcome back!” That young man scored two more touchdowns, winning the game for the coach who had spent years on his knees praying for Bremerton’s young men and their team.  

“The Constitution applies to everybody across the board, and I hope this inspires people to be able to stand up and join together and find something to be proud of and fight for something worthwhile,” Kennedy says.

But the First Amendment is still under attack ...

Yesterday, we filed against Planned Parenthood at the United States Supreme Court.

This multibillion-dollar global corporation is using its immense resources to silence and punish a now-70-year-old undercover Christian journalist, Sandra Merritt.  

In 2015, the same year Coach Kennedy was fired, Sandra exposed Planned Parenthood’s unlawful baby parts for sale scheme — the same scheme in which Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Deborah Nucatola bragged about how she altered abortion procedures, endangering women so she could get high prices for the baby parts she was selling.  

Nucatola was caught on film saying she has become “pretty good” at harvesting baby body parts.

Planned Parenthood sued Sandra for her investigative journalism, selecting a San Francisco court with a judge biased in favor of the abortion giant. Despite founding the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center that housed the Planned Parenthood of Northern California facility in its complex, Judge William Orrick III refused to recuse himself.

Instead, he refused to allow the jury to see the videos and awarded 14 million dollars in attorney’s fees against Sandra along with 2 million dollars in additional fines.

Sandra also faces criminal charges instigated by former California Attorneys General Kamela Harris and Xavier Becerra before they joined the Biden administration.

This is a significant freedom of speech case that will affect all speech, including that of journalists like James O’Keefe. Even the far-left animal rights activist group PETA has filed an amicus brief supporting our case.  

That’s because if Planned Parenthood manages to succeed against Sandra Merritt, undercover journalists will be unable to expose corruption and crime. Freedom requires a free press.

This is one of the most important cases in the nation.

That’s why I’m so grateful for your financial partnership as we battle on Sandra’s behalf. Remember, your support now is effectively doubled thanks to our Challenge Grant!

Thanks for standing with us and Sandra and against Planned Parenthood!

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

Sources:

Mackey, Maureen, and Brittany Kasko. “Coach Joe Kennedy on His Return to Football and Faith on the Field: ‘America Is Alive and Well.’” Fox News, September 2, 2023. Foxnews.com/lifestyle/coach-joe-kennedy-return-football-faith-field-america-alive-well.

“SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Coach Kennedy.” Liberty Counsel, June 27, 2022. https://lc.org/newsroom/details/062722-scotus-rules-in-favor-of-coach-kennedy.