Tuberville, Aderholt laud SCOTUS ruling in high school coach religious liberty case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a former Washington state high school football coach who was fired for kneeling in prayer at midfield after games.

In the 6-3 ruling of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the high court deemed that Kennedy’s prayer was protected free speech and religious expression.

Democrat-appointed Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor dissented in the case.

Reacting to the court’s decision was U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who in 1999 as Auburn University’s head football coach hired the Southeastern Conference’s first full-time team chaplain.

In a statement, the freshman senator hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the protections afforded under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for religious liberty and the protections afforded to Americans under the First Amendment,” proclaimed Tuberville. “The right to freely exercise religion is a powerful – and important – part of the fabric of our nation and must be protected. We are blessed to live in a country that recognizes the ability to worship freely and I applaud the Supreme Court for upholding this fundamental right.”

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), who is a member of numerous faith-oriented congressional caucuses, praised the ruling as a “win for liberty and religious freedom.”

”Today’s decision is another win for liberty and religious freedom in an era when both are under attack,” declared Aderholt. “The Court upheld the right of an individual to participate, on their own behalf, in the expression of religious speech and that it may not be singled out in any attempted suppression.

The North Alabama congressman asserted that the high court’s makeup was one that recognized the original intent of the Constitution’s framers.

“I am proud to see the Court recognize that the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect the rights that Mr. Kennedy practiced and that they are to be respected as his own, independent of an institution that believes in censoring such expression,” he added.

“I hope this decision will allow others to participate in similar speech, and that criticism of religious freedom be held in standard with the opinions in this case. I’m also thankful that we now have a Supreme Court that sees its job as intended by the Founders, to simply uphold the Constitution and interpret the laws written by Congress,” concluded Aderholt.