Posted on 10/03/2004 6:50:11 PM PDT by nypokerface
NEW ORLEANS - A new law allowing the state to issue license plates that honor veterans and service members runs afoul of a judge's order in a legal battle over anti-abortion-themed license plates, critics charge.
Abortion-rights attorney William Rittenberg, who fought an earlier attempt to allow "Choose Life" license plates, said the law conflicts with a federal judge's ruling that the state must issue license plates in a "viewpoint neutral" manner.
Louisiana lawmakers approved "Choose Life" plates in 1999. Revenue from the plates was earmarked for agencies that aid women giving birth in unplanned pregnancies or considering adoption.
Abortion-rights advocates opposed the law, saying the state did not offer people with opposing political views a similar way to express them.
Last year a federal judge agreed with the opponents, ruling that the state's system for issuing specialty plates violates free-speech rights because the Legislature chooses who gets the tags and the money. That ruling is awaiting a decision in federal appeals court.
Meanwhile, the Legislature passed a law this year ordering the state Department of Public Safety to resume issuing license plates that honor a host of current and former service members, including prisoners of war.
Supporters say the new law conforms with the judge's ruling because it does not promote a cause and simply allows plates to be issued for a specific class of people. Attorneys for the state agree and have filed papers seeking a ruling from the judge.
Rittenberg said opponents of the "Choose Life" plates do not necessarily oppose veterans or other groups that want specialty plates. However, under the state's method of deciding what license plates are allowed, the plates would violate the judge's order.
"I've got no beef with the Louisiana black bear," he said, referring to a now-suspended license plate that was used as part of a conservation effort.
Rittenberg said lawmakers could easily end the matter by establishing an office that would issue the plates to any group that wants them and meets nonpolitical requirements.
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