The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear our Cambridge Christian School case.

The Florida State Athletic Association barred Cambridge Christian and another Christian school from praying over the loudspeaker before their state championship football game.

To be clear, the Court’s announcement is not a ruling on the merits of the case. However, because the Court declined to review it, this means that a troubling lower court opinion will stand—a decision that basically says the government can ban and censor student-led prayer on public property by calling it “government speech.”

This doesn’t just impact prayer between two Christian schools. It impacts the right of all Americans to express their faith freely. If state officials can discriminate against two private, Christian schools and prevent them from praying in public, it won’t be long before they pick and choose other types of speech to censor.

“The 11th 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,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel at First Liberty.

Because of our case, Florida passed a law so that the FHSAA cannot again discriminate against religious schools. While this is positive and protects religious liberty in the Sunshine State, it doesn’t apply to any of the other 49 states and doesn’t impact constitutional law more broadly.

So, the Supreme Court didn’t just miss an opportunity to rectify a clear violation of our client’s rights. It also missed an opportunity to clarify the law against such acts of hostility toward religious freedom.

Some very harmful precedents will remain on the books. We can expect more attacks and discrimination against students and Americans who express their faith.

Our work is far from finished. We’ll have to be all the more vigilant about protecting religious freedom for students, religious schools and everyday Americans.

First Liberty is going to continue defending and fighting in court to ensure that everyone in our country can pray and freely express their faith without censorship.

There will be many more cases to litigate and battles to fight. You are the one keeping us on the frontlines, fighting for what matters most. And we can only meet the challenges ahead with your continued support.

Will you stand for your First Liberty? Please give today.