Coach's rights to free speech, religious expression citedWASHINGTON, June 27 - The U.S. Supreme Court, in the latest in a spate of decisions expanding religious liberty, ruled on Monday that a Washington state public school district violated the rights of a Christian high school football coach who was suspended for refusing to stop leading prayers with players on the field after games.
Powered by its increasingly assertive conservative justices, the court in recent years has expanded individual and corporate religious rights while narrowing the separation between church and state. The ruling was another victory for the court's conservatives, following Friday's decision overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade precedent that had legalized abortion nationwide.
Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the school district, said the Supreme Court has "continued its assault on church-state separation" driven by the interests of conservative Christians.