3. Demonstrate the power of one individual to transform a culture
Slide 3/3
average joe It's not a boring courtroom drama. (The courtroom scenes make up less than 1% of the film.) Still, it's important to understand the impact his case had on the legal system and Americans' religious freedom.
Ahead of his case, the court ruled against monuments and public prayers by pointing to the so-called lemon test, a legal concept that has been used since 1971 to determine whether laws are constitutional. I was dropping it frequently. In many cases, religious freedom was on the decline. In 2005, for example, the Supreme Court cited Lemon in ordering the removal of a Ten Commandments exhibit from a Kentucky courthouse. In 2000, the high court, citing Lemon, ruled that student-led prayers at high school football games were unconstitutional.
But the Supreme Court reversed Lemon in the 2022 Kennedy case, changing the legal landscape and expanding religious freedom. Instead of Lemon, the justices ruled that future courts should look to the Constitution's “original meaning” and “as it was understood by the Founding Fathers.”
The real-life Joe Kennedy told Crosswalk that “Americans have more religious liberty and liberty today than they have in the last 50 years.”
The film is rated PG-13 for “Theme and Violence,” primarily due to his time in a foster care facility and a scene in which he is covered in blood. Contains mild language (see below).
Kennedy's story shows the power one man can have to change a culture when he has the courage to stand up for what's right. That alone is reason to watch.
Rated PG-13 for some themes and violence. Rough language: b—-rd (1), a— (4).
entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Family friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Photo credit: ©GND Media Group
