LOUISVILLE – The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky filed a lawsuit in federal court today to protect the religious freedom of a graduating senior from Russell County High School who objects to the prayer planned for his graduation ceremony this Friday.

The student, who filed under the pseudonym John Doe, believes that the planned prayers are an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and of specific religious views.   The ACLU is asking for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the prayer at the public ceremony.

“Graduation is a milestone event for many students, who want to celebrate their academic success,” said Lili S. Lutgens, staff attorney for the ACLU of Kentucky who is representing Doe.  “It should not be used as a platform to promote specific religious viewpoints.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the inclusion of clergy-led prayer at public school graduations and student-led prayer at school sporting events.  “The Constitution forbids the state to exact religious conformity from a student as the price of attending her own high school graduation,” the court wrote in its 1992 Lee v. Weisman decision.

Students who want to pray are free to organize a private, religious baccalaureate service before or after graduation, Lutgens said, but including prayers in the official graduation ceremony is a violation of the First Amendment’s prohibition on government-sponsored religion.

“School-sponsored prayer constitutes a symbolic and tangible ‘preference… given by law’ to a religious sect by exalting it over contrary religious beliefs deemed less worthy of government endorsement,” the ACLU argues in the court papers.  “It compels attendance at a place of worship by conditioning participation at public graduation ceremonies on acceptance of prayer at those ceremonies.”