Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Supreme Court Rejects Christian School’s Appeal in Loudspeaker Prayer Case
by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Cambridge Christian School v. Florida High School Athletic Association, effectively letting stand a lower-court ruling that bars two Christian schools from offering a brief pre-game prayer over a stadium loudspeaker — even though both teams wanted the prayer and the event was between two private Christian schools.
Without comment, the justices refused certiorari, leaving the conservative legal community deeply disappointed and raising renewed concerns about the uneven protection of religious expression in the public square. The move leaves in place the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that characterized the prayer as “government speech,” even though the prayer would have been voluntarily offered and fully initiated by private Christian actors.
A Tradition of Prayer, Suddenly Banned
The case began after Cambridge Christian, a private school in Tampa, played a state championship football game in 2015 against another Christian school. Both institutions requested a simple, voluntary prayer over the PA system — a tradition Cambridge Christian had long practiced.
But the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), acting as a state entity, rejected the request. FHSAA director Roger Dearing argued at the time that the Citrus Bowl was a “public facility … predominantly paid for with public tax dollars,” and that allowing Christian players to pray over the loudspeaker would constitute an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.
Religious liberty advocates have long countered that viewpoint, noting that a private religious prayer — initiated, delivered, and requested by private groups — is not government speech, and that banning it actually discriminates against religious expression.
Lower Courts Bless the Ban, Despite Earlier Reversal
Cambridge Christian sued in 2016, represented by First Liberty Institute. After an eight-year legal battle, mixed rulings, and several appeals, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit ultimately upheld a district court decision against the school, declaring that the association was regulating “its own expression.”
Judge Ed Carnes wrote that because the PA system was government-controlled, the prayer was government speech — a conclusion First Liberty says contradicts basic First Amendment protections.
Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at First Liberty, blasted the Supreme Court’s decision not to intervene:
“The Eleventh Circuit’s decision to label the prayer as government speech abandons the foundational promises of the First Amendment that are meant to guarantee individual freedom.”
Florida Has Already Passed a Law Fixing the Issue — but Too Late for This Case
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in 2023 explicitly allowing sports teams to give brief opening remarks — including prayer — before high school athletic events.
But for Cambridge Christian, today’s Supreme Court denial means the final word in their case has been written: religious speech, when delivered through a government-owned loudspeaker, can be silenced even when all participants voluntarily agree to it.
Conservatives See a Troubling Pattern
The Court’s refusal to hear the case stands in stark contrast to other recent decisions that have expanded religious freedom, including protection for public school coaches who pray privately on the field.
But unlike the Kennedy v. Bremerton case, which affirmed an individual’s right to personal prayer, Cambridge Christian dealt with religious expression from a group, shared publicly. Conservatives warn that if the state can declare voluntary religious speech “government speech” simply because it uses a microphone, then the state can censor nearly any religious expression in public venues.
For many faith-based families, the ruling only strengthens the perception of a growing double standard — where secular speech is protected, but Christian expression is increasingly marginalized.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
China’s military leadership is facing major upheaval after its most senior general — a close ally of President Xi Jinping — was accused of leaking information about the Communist country’s nuclear-weapons program to the United States and committing other “serious violations of discipline and law.”
The recovery of the final Israeli captive, Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, during Operation Brave Heart in eastern Gaza City has removed the last major obstacle to reopening the Rafah Crossing, paving the way for the continued implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.
A federal judge on Monday heard arguments from the state of Minnesota seeking an emergency halt to the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to the Twin Cities, a sweeping operation that has intensified tensions between state and federal authorities following a fatal shooting involving a Border Patrol agent.
A systematic organization behind riots in Minnesota exposed through leaked group chats is under investigation, says FBI Director Kash Patel.
Israel’s military confirmed Monday it recovered the remains of Ran Givli, a special forces officer killed in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, ending a more than two-year effort to bring him home.
The United States has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, citing the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to implement meaningful reforms, and what U.S. officials described as undue political influence by member states.
The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying warships have entered the Middle East, according to U.S. officials, significantly expanding President Donald Trump’s military options as tensions with Iran continue to escalate.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com