U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has taken a stand against what he perceives as religious discrimination by state governments. On July 10, 2025, Senator Lee led an amicus brief to defend free speech and religious observance in the case of Cambridge Christian School v. Florida High School Athletic Association.
“When the government blocks Christian schools from praying before their own football games, something is very wrong,” said Senator Mike Lee. He expressed concern over lower courts creating loopholes that ignore protections for freedom of speech and religion. “I pray the Supreme Court grants this case, corrects the lower court’s error, and upholds the First Amendment.”
Senator Lee was joined by several U.S. Senators and Representatives in filing the brief, including Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), James Lankford (R-OK), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), John McGuire (R-VA), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Keith Self (R-TX), and Daniel Webster (R-FL).
The case involves Cambridge Christian School’s request to begin a state football championship game with prayer over the loudspeaker—a request denied by the Florida High School Athletic Association despite having allowed it three years earlier. The FHSAA initially argued that such prayer might be seen as government endorsement of religion but later claimed it qualified as “government speech.”
Senator Lee’s brief argues that the Eleventh Circuit erred in its application of the government-speech doctrine, potentially chilling protected speech and causing confusion about what constitutes government speech.
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