IN 1983, the East Brunswick School District in central New Jersey hired Marcus Borden as head football coach. He was successful as a coach and kept the position for 23 years. Starting before Borden's reign, the football team customarily ate a pasta dinner together in the high school cafeteria before Friday night home games. Parents and other guests, including the cheerleaders, attended this pre-game meal. Originally, a local minister recited a pre-meal prayer, but the athletic director stopped this practice in 1997. After that, students took turns reading a prayer prepared by the minister. Starting in 2003, when the minister retired, Borden began a new tradition; he recited the prayer himself at the first pre-game dinner and then selected a senior player to recite one for all of the subsequent pre-game meals that season. In addition, as a consistent practice since 1983, Borden had always led his team and the assistant coaches in a locker room prayer immediately before the game. On September 26, 2005, a parent of a cheerleader complained to superintendent Jo Ann Magistro that Borden's pre-game prayer was inappropriate. During the following week, two other parents added their complaints; one of them told Magistro that her son, who was on the team, felt uncomfortable during these prayers. Magistro spoke about the matter with the principal and athletic director, and they directed Borden to cease and desist. On September 30, Borden continued the prayer traditions, allegedly telling students that anyone who was uncomfortable could wait in the restroom during these brief periods. Following that game, Magistro received several more complaints. On Friday, October 7, after consulting with the district's legal counsel, Magistro met with Borden and told him that all prayer needed to be strictly student-initiated. He responded by asking for clear guidelines on personnel participation in student prayer. Later that day, Magistro followed up with a memorandum that provided the requested guidelines. They started with the proposition that students have a constitutional right to pray at school events provided that the activity is truly student and does not interfere with the normal operations of the school. One of the provided examples was that student athletes on their own decide to hold a prayer huddle before a game, after a game, or during half-time, they have a right to do so. The guidelines further specified that staff members may not initiate, encourage, lead, otherwise directly or indirectly coerce, or participate in student prayer in any school-sponsored setting. That same evening, Borden resigned, effective immediately, and he did not attend that evening's football game. On the following Monday, Magistro issued the guidelines to the entire staff. On October 17, Borden withdrew his resignation and agreed to abide by the district's guidelines for the remainder of the season. On October 20, in response to a landslide of media coverage, Internet e-mail messages, and hate mail, including anti-Semitic messages, the school board president issued a statement supporting the superintendent and maintaining the importance of respecting the Constitution and its enforcement. On November 21, Borden filed suit in state court, asserting that the guidelines violated both the New Jersey and U.S. constitutions. On December 22, the district defendants removed the case to federal court, which was their option based on the federal constitutional claim. Meanwhile for the rest of the 2005 season, Borden refrained from his previous prayer practices. On July 25, 2006, federal district court judge Cavanagh issued a ruling from the bench that granted summary judgment to Borden, concluding: agree that an Establishment Clause violation would occur if the coach initiated and led the activity, but I find nothing wrong with [him] taking a knee as a sign of respect for his players' actions and traditions. …