High Court Defers on 'Choose Life' Plates

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court declined to consider Monday whether South Carolina's anti-abortion license plates are unconstitutional, a free-speech question that could have resulted in the elimination of similar programs in a dozen states.

Without comment, justices rejected a challenge to a lower court ruling that said the plates, which bear the slogan "Choose Life," violate the First Amendment because abortion rights supporters weren't given a similar forum to express their beliefs.
...
The plate is "the most recent and apparently most visible expression in a long line of statements asserting the state's clear and oft-repeated preference for childbirth over abortion," state officials argued in their filing.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va., disagreed and ruled the plates were unconstitutional. It rejected South Carolina's claim that Planned Parenthood lacked "standing," or an actual injury, since it never applied for a specialty plate under a separate law allowing nonprofit groups to seek plates bearing their insignia for members.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-scotus-anti-abortion-plates,0,4407574.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[RPM]

1. as I see it, the issue is moot until someone tries for a pro-choice plate

then if it is denied, there is a content-based restriction on speech.

Till then, nada....

[zbdent]

11. How about "Choose - while you still have a choice"

?

[jobycom]

12. No, that's not exactly right

This isn't an individual or group's attempt to get a message put on a plate, this is a legislative issue. The state legislatures had to introduce a bill and have it passed. Groups wanting opposing messages wouldn't have that ability. This isn't one group trying to block an opposing group's message, this is the state legislature taking sides on a political issue, allowing one group to express itself while forbidding the other to express itself in the same way.

Two other legal problems with that come to mind: first, the state funds are being used for a specific political campaign, which may be a spending violation. Two, equal protection is not being applied, since one side is being denied their free speech based on their opinions.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. So this establishes an opening for a left-leaning plate.

Any suggestions on the slogan?

[RPM]

3. Save a Woman - Abort a Fetus

that ought to fire some folks up

[unpossibles]

4. yeah.... "F*ck Bush" n/t

[Rose Siding]

6. This rejection lets the finding against the plates stand

I think! -the sentence is strangely formed.

[TahitiNut]

8. Yep. 4th Circuit disallowed the plates. USSC let ban stand.

Simple.

[bunkerbuster1]

9. Hamburger stops a beating heart, too.

Always wanted to see that sticker after those dopey "Abortion stops a beating heart."

But as for pro-choi... er, I mean, anti-criminalization plate taglines, how about:

Anti-Criminalization.
Pro-Reproductive Rights.

alone, or both, work for me.

[Lerkfish]

5. only if I can have a "War Kills Babies" plate.

:)

[jobycom]

10. I want a "Choose Peace" plate.nt

[elehhhhna]

7. Counter with plate-looking bumper stickers that say 'Choose"

or "Choice"

[soup]

13. Has any group, such as Planned Parenthood or NOW filed for

a pro-choice license plate? Have they been turned down? Accepted? Does any state have a pro-choice plate? I'm not finding any so far.

lists of specialty plates - from a few random states

South Carolina:
http://www.scdmvonline.com/VehPlateSpecialty.aspx

Georgia:
http://www.dmvs.state.ga.us/motor/plates/

Iowa:
http://www.iowatreasurers.org/citizen.cfm?ID=1&ParentPage=124

Florida:
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/specialtytags/specialindex.html

Texas:
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/vtr/spplates/allplates.htm

Virginia:
(wow, they have a Parrothead plate!)
http://www.dmv.state.va.us/exec/vehicle/splates/category.asp?category=S

---

Doh! I'm an idiot. State-by-state list here:
http://www.dmv.org/

[Redstone]

14. The "In Reason we Trust" S.C. plate is a nice one,

but it's gotta be like painting a bullseye on your car, or sporting a big red bumper sticker that says "Please pull me over for no reason, I'm one a them goldam liburrels!"

And how nice that both South Carolina and Georgia have "Sons of Confederate Veterans" plates. Way to help whites and blacks get along down there, guys.

Redstone

[kskiska]

15. Shouldn't license plates be used for vehicle I.D. purposes only?

Why does state government have to condone one point of view over another? People who desire such plates would do better to just buy a bumper sticker.