11:54 AM EDT on Friday, May 19, 2006

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday blocked the inclusion of prayer as part of Russell County High School’s graduation ceremonies set for later in the day.

U.S. District Judge Joseph McKinley granted a temporary restraining order sought by a student who doesn’t want prayer to be part of the graduation exercises on Friday night at the south-central Kentucky school, about 110 miles southeast of Louisville.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky filed suit on behalf of the unidentified student on Tuesday.

ACLU attorney Lili Lutgens said she was pleased with the judge’s order and “very proud of my client for standing up for the Constitution.”

Lutgens said prayer would be unconstitutional because it would endorse a specific religion and religious views.

“He did not feel that he should have to sit through government-sponsored prayer just to receive his diploma,” Lutgens said of the student.

Lutgens said earlier this week that student-initiated prayer before or after the ceremony would be OK.

The student, through his attorney, had previously appealed to Russell County High principal Darren Gossage to cancel the prayer, a request Lutgens said the principal denied.

Phone message seeking comment from Gossage and other school district officials were not immediately returned.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)