PHOENIX – Attorney General Mark Brnovich is urging the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to protect the first amendment rights of public employees. Today SCOTUS heard oral arguments in Joseph A. Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which General Brnovich led a multi-state amicus brief.
The case involves a public high school football coach, Joseph Kennedy, who prayed at the 50-yard line after games. The school district ordered him to stop doing it, and he refused. Kennedy was placed on leave and was not rehired. He filed a lawsuit in 2016, saying his First Amendment rights were violated.
“There is no more important right than the ability to express your beliefs in your words and actions,” said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. “We must vigorously uphold this right for everyone, including public employees, as it is at the core of who we are as Americans.”
In March 2022, General Brnovich led a 27-state coalition amicus brief on this case. Previously, General Brnovich co-led a 24-state amicus brief asking SCOTUS to accept this case.