Judge to side with ACLU in school prayer case in Tangipahoa

12:39 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 Michael Kunzelman / Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge says he is prepared to side with the American Civil Liberties Union in its lawsuit over a teacher's prayer during a public high school's graduation, one of seven cases the ACLU has filed against the same Louisiana school district. During a meeting Tuesday with lawyers in the case, U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. said he has drafted a ruling that favors the ACLU in its suit against the Tangipahoa Parish School Board. But the judge agreed to wait until at least June 28 to issue that opinion so a settlement could be negotiated, including an agreement for the school board to pay for the ACLU's attorneys fees, court records show. "The parties agreed that because the only outstanding issues in this case are... [read full story]