Mr. McElhaney, a father of a softball player, texted the coach after his daughter was benched midway through the season. The text messages criticized his coaching ability and decisions. The coach, believing Mr. McElhaney had violated team policy which prohibited parents from talking to coaches about playing time, forwarded the messages to the principal.

Amidst all the drama surrounding the case of the praying coach – Kennedy v. Bremerton School District – was an important free-speech question: when does a public employee engage in protected personal expression versus unprotected government speech?