Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has issued a statement condemning the federal court decision last week barring the Tangipahoa Parish School Board from beginning its meetings with prayer. U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan, who heard the case, ruled that the School Board, as a body that set policy for schools, was outside legislative prayer exception and the prayer itself didn’t qualify for a legal loophole that permitted government-sponsored activity. The Board will meet this week to discuss the possibility of an appeal, and Blanco’s executive counsel is researching the legal issues for a possible amicus brief.