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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a prayer led by a high school football coach following games is constitutionally protected free speech.
美国最高法院上周裁定，一名高中橄榄球教练在比赛结束后带领学生祈祷的行为是受宪法保护的言论自由。
While some praised the decision as a win for religious freedom, others feared the decision could be harmful to non-Christian students.
虽然一些人称赞这一裁决是宗教自由的胜利，但也有一些人担心这一裁决可能会对非基督徒的学生有害。
The court ruled 6-3 for the coach with the conservative justices in the majority and the liberals in dissent.
最高法院以6比3的投票结果支持这位教练，保守派法官占多数，自由派法官持不同意见。
The case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, was the latest in a series of rulings in support of Christian plaintiffs.
肯尼迪诉布雷默顿学区案是一系列支持基督教原告的裁决中的最新一起。
A plaintiff is a person who brings a legal action against another in a court of law.
原告是指在法庭上对另一人提起法律诉讼的人。
The case forced the justices to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into joining in religious practices.
此案迫使法官们在教师和教练的宗教和言论自由权利与学生不因压力而参加宗教活动的权利之间取得平衡。
The coach, named Joseph Kennedy, would lead a prayer in the middle of the field after football games.
这位名叫约瑟夫·肯尼迪的教练常常会在橄榄球比赛结束后带领学生在球场中央祈祷。
He was a coach at Bremerton High School in the northwestern state of Washington.
他曾是华盛顿州西北部布雷默顿高中的一名教练。
The school asked him not to pray with players while still on duty as a coach after the games.
学校要求他在执教期间不要在比赛结束之后带领学生祈祷。
But he continued to do so.
但他继续这样做。
The head coach later proposed not to bring back Kennedy.
主教练后来提议不让肯尼迪复出。
The liberal justices in the minority said there was evidence that the students felt pressured to join Kennedy’s prayers.
占少数的自由派法官表示，有证据表明，跟随肯尼迪一起祈祷令学生们感到有压力。
They argued the prayers permitted him to include his “personal religious beliefs into a school event.”
他们认为，祈祷让他把自己的个人宗教信仰带进了学校活动。
But the justices in the majority pointed out that the coach’s prayers came after the games were over.
但多数派法官指出，这位教练是在比赛结束后进行祈祷的。
They said the prayers were at a time when Kennedy was not responsible for students and was free to do other things.
他们说，祈祷发生在肯尼迪不为学生负责、可以自由做其他事情的时候。
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority in the ruling.
法官尼尔·戈尔萨奇在该裁决中为多数派撰文。
He argued it would be wrong to treat everything public school teachers and coaches say and do as speech open to government control.
他认为，把公立学校教师和教练的一言一行都视为受政府控制的言论是错误的。
If that were true, “a school could fire a Muslim teacher for wearing a headscarf in the classroom or prohibit a Christian aide from praying quietly over her lunch in the cafeteria,” he wrote.
他写道，如果这是真的，“学校可以解雇在教室里戴头巾的穆斯林教师，或者禁止基督教助手在自助餐厅吃午饭时安静地祈祷”。
Dissenting Justice Sonya Sotomayor argued that “This decision does a disservice to schools and the young citizens they serve, as well as to our Nation’s longstanding commitment to the separation of church and state.”
持不同意见的大法官索尼娅·索托马约尔辩称：“这一裁决伤害了学校和他们所服务的年轻公民，也损害了我们国家长期以来对政教分离的承诺。”
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech.
美国宪法第一修正案保护言论自由。
It also bans Congress from making laws that establish a religion or prevent people from exercising their religion.
它还禁止国会制定有关确立宗教或阻止人们从事宗教活动的法律。
Thomas Jefferson served as the country’s third president.
托马斯·杰斐逊是美国的第三任总统。
He wrote in an 1802 letter to a religious organization that the clause represents a "wall of separation" between church and state.
他于1802年在写给一个宗教组织的一封信中写道，这一条款是教会和国家之间的一道“隔离墙”。
The Bremerton School District said in a statement that the court’s decision undermines the separation required by the Constitution.
布雷默顿学区在一份声明中表示，最高法院的这项裁决破坏了宪法要求的政教分离。
The school said that it had “followed the law and acted to protect the religious freedom of all students and their families.”
该校表示，它“遵守了法律，并采取行动保护所有学生及其家人的宗教自由”。
The lawyer who represented Kennedy said it would permit the coach “to finally return to the place he belongs – coaching football and quietly praying by himself after the game.”
肯尼迪的代理律师表示，这将允许这位教练“最终回到属于他的地方——执教橄榄球，赛后独自默默祈祷。”
Thirty-four religious groups in the Bremerton, Washington area filed a “friend of the court” brief before last week’s decision.
在上周的裁决之前，华盛顿州布雷默顿地区的34个宗教团体提交了一份“法庭之友”简报。
The groups include Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and several different Christian movements.
这些团体包括穆斯林、犹太教、印度教和几个不同的基督教运动。
They said Kennedy’s actions pressured students into joining him in prayers.
他们说，肯尼迪的行为迫使学生和他一起祈祷。
Jewish and Muslim groups warned that the decision could harm the religious rights of non-Christian students.
犹太教和穆斯林团体警告称，这一裁决可能会损害非基督教徒的学生的宗教权利。
The National Council for Jewish Women, or NJW, argued that the court’s decision brought down the wall between religion and state.
全国犹太妇女委员会认为，最高法院的裁决拆除了宗教和国家之间的墙。
The group added, “the impact on people — especially children, who practice a minority religion or no religion — cannot be overstated.”
该组织还说，“对人们的影响——尤其是那些信奉少数宗教或不信奉宗教的儿童——怎么夸大都不为过。”
Emma Melton works for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, a Muslim civil rights group.
艾玛·梅尔顿就职于美国伊斯兰关系委员会，即一个穆斯林民权组织。
She said in a statement that the “decision further alienates Muslim students, who are already disproportionately impacted by bullying, harassment, and discrimination in school.”
她在一份声明中表示，这一裁决进一步疏远了穆斯林学生，他们在学校已经受到不成比例的欺凌、骚扰和歧视。
Edward Ahmed Mitchell is a top official with CAIR.
爱德华·艾哈迈德·米切尔是美国伊斯兰关系委员会的高级官员。
He told EducationWeek that the decision needs to be enforced equally.
他告诉《教育周刊》，这一裁决需要被平等执行。
“We know if a Muslim teacher does what this coach did, it could spark a very different reaction, but he or she has the right to do it now."
“我们知道，如果一名穆斯林老师像这名教练那样做，可能会引发截然不同的反应，但他或她现在有权这样做。”
“Will this be equally applied to all people?” he asked.
他问：“这会平等地适用于所有人吗？”
I’m Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
