Joe Kennedy lost his coaching job for praying silently on a football field.
The Supreme Court gave it back and told the left to never try that again.
They just tried it again – this time against a sitting cabinet secretary.
The Easter Email That Became a Federal First Amendment Lawsuit
On Easter Sunday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent an email to every one of the USDA's 90,000 employees.
"He is Risen, indeed!"
She called the Resurrection "the greatest story ever told, the foundation of our faith, and the abiding hope of all mankind."
Jesus was "our risen Lord," sin had been destroyed, and God had granted each employee "victory and new life."
Her staff, she wrote, were like the disciples in the Upper Room – people with a higher calling, alive with hope.
At Christmas she had written that God gave humanity "the greatest gift possible, the gift of his Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, who came to free us from our sins and open the door to eternal life."
A government union member read that email and called a lawyer.
What the USDA Lawsuit Actually Says
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, claims those messages violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause by subjecting USDA employees to what the complaint calls "proselytizing Christian messaging" from a position of authority.
One atheist plaintiff claims the emails made him feel Rollins was "conveying to him that he is unwelcome and going to hell."
He felt unwelcome.
Because his boss said "He is Risen."
That's the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs – represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Democracy Forward – want a federal judge to declare Rollins' messages unconstitutional and order her to stop permanently.
Why the Supreme Court Already Killed This Argument
In 2022, the Supreme Court decided Kennedy v. Bremerton School District – a case about a football coach, Joe Kennedy, who prayed quietly on the field after games.
Bremerton fired him.
Six justices reinstated him.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch was explicit: the Constitution "neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress" religious expression by individuals, including government employees.
Decades of legal precedent the Left had used to bring cases like this one got scrapped in the same ruling – condemned as "ambitious, abstract, and ahistorical" – and replaced with a historical standard that makes challenges like this one nearly impossible to win.
Congress cannot establish a national church.
It has never been used to silence a cabinet secretary's personal religious expression in an email.
Rollins Isn't Apologizing
Before joining the Trump administration, Rollins helped found the America First Policy Institute, which stated openly that "the gospel of Jesus Christ has been the greatest force for human flourishing the planet has ever seen."
She participates in the Capitol Ministries White House Cabinet Bible Study with other cabinet officials.
Rollins told Decision Magazine last year that she and fellow cabinet members were studying "service and being servants of God and servant leaders, but also being able to resist the temptation that comes with power."
When the lawsuit went public, Rollins posted one sentence on X.
"It's just another opportunity to remind everyone: He is Risen."
USDA's official response: "We do not comment on pending litigation, but we will keep the plaintiffs in our prayers during this process."
This Is Exactly What They Want
The lawsuit is filed in the Northern District of California – the most reliably liberal federal circuit in the country.
That's not a coincidence.
The Left has been losing these religious expression cases before the Supreme Court for years – and they know it.
So they file in favorable venues, generate headlines, and force conservative officials to spend federal resources defending the right to say "He is Risen."
The goal isn't to win in court.
The goal is to make being a Christian in public office feel so legally precarious that the next Brooke Rollins keeps quiet.
That strategy depends on officials backing down.
She didn't.
Sources:
- Jon Brown, "Employees sue USDA, Brooke Rollins over 'proselytizing' Christian-themed emails," The Christian Post, May 21, 2026.
- Mary McCue Bell, "Brooke Rollins accused of 'sermonizing' to USDA employees in new lawsuit," The Washington Times, May 14, 2026.
- "USDA Employees Sue Secretary Over 'Christ Is Risen' Email," Bloomberg Law, May 14, 2026.
- Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 U.S. 507 (2022).
