Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf
Page Number: 10.0

Cite as:  597 U. S. ____ (2022) 

5 

Opinion of the Court 

On October 16, shortly before the game that day, the Dis-
trict responded with another letter.  See id., at 76.  The Dis-
trict acknowledged that Mr. Kennedy “ha[d] complied” with
the “directives” in its September 17 letter.  Id., at 77.  Yet 
instead of accommodating Mr. Kennedy’s request to offer a
brief  prayer  on  the  field  while  students  were  busy  with 
other  activities—whether  heading  to  the  locker  room, 
boarding the bus, or perhaps singing the school fight song—
the District issued an ultimatum.  It forbade Mr. Kennedy 
from engaging in “any overt actions” that could “appea[r] to
a reasonable observer to endorse . . . prayer . . . while he is 
on duty as a District-paid coach.”  Id., at 81.  The District 
did so because it judged that anything less would lead it to 
violate the Establishment Clause.  Ibid. 

B 
After  receiving  this  letter,  Mr.  Kennedy  offered  a  brief
prayer following the October 16 game.  See id., at 90.  When 
he  bowed  his  head  at  midfield  after  the  game,  “most
[Bremerton]  players  were  . . .  engaged  in  the  traditional 
singing  of  the  school  fight  song  to  the  audience.”  Ibid. 
Though  Mr.  Kennedy  was  alone  when  he  began  to  pray,
players from the other team and members of the community 
joined him before he finished his prayer.  See id., at 82, 297. 
This event spurred media coverage of Mr. Kennedy’s di-
lemma and a public response from the District.  The District 
placed robocalls to parents to inform them that public ac-
cess to the field is forbidden; it posted signs and made an-
nouncements at games saying the same thing; and it had 
the Bremerton Police secure the field in future games.  Id., 
at 100–101, 354–355.  Subsequently, the District superin-
tendent explained in an October 20 email to the leader of a
state  association  of  school  administrators  that  “the  coach 
moved on from leading prayer with kids, to taking a silent
prayer  at  the  50  yard  line.”    Id.,  at  83.  The  official  with 
whom the superintendent corresponded acknowledged that