A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order today to prevent Russell County High School from including prayer during its graduation ceremony tonight.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky sought the order on behalf of a Russell County senior who believes that the planned prayers would have been an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and of specific religious views by the school.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday and the order was issued this morning by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley, Jr.

“This case is not about whether people can or should pray; it’s about families and individuals deciding for themselves whether, when, and how to pray,” said Lili S. Lutgens, staff attorney at the ACLU of Kentucky, who is representing the student.   “Our founders intended that these religious decisions be made by individuals and families, not the government.”

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.