US Judge Bans Christian Car Number Plate [Revolt America, Revolt!]

Telegraph(UK) ^ | November 10th, 2009

[Steelfish]

US Judge Bans Christian Car Number Plate

[Pic in URL] A US judge has ordered South Carolina not to issue car number plates that feature a Christian cross in front of a stained glass window along with the slogan "I Believe".

10 Nov 2009

Cameron Currie, the district judge, said the plate, similar to the one pictured, was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment. Photo: AP

The southern state's legislature had already approved the licence plate, but Cameron Currie, the district judge, said the plate was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment, which requires the separation of church and state.

"Such a law amounts to a state endorsement not only of religion in general, but of a specific sect in particular," Ms Currie wrote. Her ruling also singled out Lt Gov Andre Bauer, who had pushed the bill approving the license plates through the state legislature. Christian advocates tried to get the same license plate approved in Florida, but the bill did not pass that state's lawmaking body.

Mr Bauer wanted to accomplish in South Carolina what had been unsuccessful in Florida, Ms Currie wrote, in order to "gain legislative approval of a specialty plate promoting the majority religion: Christianity. "Whether motivated by sincerely-held Christian beliefs or an effort to purchase political capital with religious coin, the result is the same.

"The statute is clearly unconstitutional and defence of its implementation has embroiled the state in unnecessary (and expensive) litigation." Mr Bauer was not immediately available for comment.

The case was brought by the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, on behalf of several individuals and Hindu and American-Arab groups.

[Nuc1]

The plate doesn’t violate the Constitution, but the Judge’s decision does.

[plinyelder]

How often can I say that .. “I Am So Damn SICK” of the SHIT going on in this country!?

I am not, what you would call a participant in a main stream religion BUT DAMMIT .. There is an all out war against Christians in this country by the very people who can say NOTHING against Islam!

If it had been a Christian who had blown away 13 of our soldiers .. YOU CAN BET YOUR ASS .. The bastards would be screaming from the rooftops!

When will enough be ENOUGH?

[TurtleUp]

The judge is not simply mistaken. She is a power-grabbing liar who knows that she is the one violating the Constitution. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The violation is in prohibiting the free exercise of religion and the freedom of speech on that license plate. Anyone capable of making it into law school knows that "the separation of church and state" is not in the Constitution; if she's actually educated (which is in doubt), then she knows that the phrase comes from Jefferson's Danbury Letter, written after the Bill of Rights and intended only as a campaign promise. These judges seem to think that any candidate's promises are part of the Constitution but that the actual words in the document are not. She disgusts me.

[MrDem]

Currie is a real snotty little elite princess type.

[exit82]

At the time of the Constitution’s adoption, some states had state sponsored religions, in New England.

This is a state issued license plate, not a Federal one.

The first Amendment restricts Congress from establishing a religious preference—not a State.

[Steelfish]

The leaders, especially the Christian leaders have failed us. Where’s the outrage? Where are the protests? Marches? No- we march gently into our own gallows.

[kittykat77]

This is just a district judge. No doubt this case will work its way up through circuit court and maybe even up to the Supreme Court. By that time we’ll probably have mag-lev cars!

[hellbender]

the First Amendment, which requires the separation of church and state.

It requires nothing of the kind whatsoever.

Any judge named "Ms." somebody, like any female who affects a hyphenated surname (i.e. a "hyphemale"), is almost always a leftist.

[Steelfish]

The state is NOT compelling the purchase of the license. Allowing these for voluntary purchase is not an official endorsement of religion. This is an extremely secular and unconstitutional decision.

[MrDem]

I’m telling you this judge is your typical elitist liberal little snot.

[is_is]

"How often can I say that .. “I Am So Damn SICK” of the SHIT going on in this country!?"

+1

[Freddd]

So who do we contact?

[sionnsar]

the First Amendment, which requires the separation of church and state.

Writer is a Marxist. And ignorant.

[MrDem]

Full contact info is here:

http://www.scd.uscourts.gov/Judges/distjudge.asp

[upchuck]

We've not heard the last of this, I'm sure.

Here's another version of the story from The Palmetto Scoop, a source not on JimRob's no-no list:

---

DISTRICT JUDGE SAYS CHRISTIAN LICENSE PLATES VIOLATE 1ST AMENDMENT

You can call it an activist judge making an unfortunate ruling or a victory for First Amendment rights, but U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie Tuesday said South Carolina’s “I Believe” license tag was Unconstitutional.

The federal ruling came after months of arguing over the Christian tags, which feature a cross over a tainted-glass window on a cloudy background with the words “I Believe” written above the license plate number.

The tags were passed by the General Assembly in 2008, but a number of groups including Americans United for Separation of Church and State and American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee sued, saying they were a violation of the First Amendment.

Currie said the amendment enshrines a separation of church and state and that the tag violates that right.

Lt Gov. Andre Bauer, who helped get the tags passed in the State Senate, called it a “freedom of speech issue” and noted the absurd number of tags (more than 100) already available in South Carolina.

But Currie disagreed, even taking a shot at Bauer.

“Whether motivated by sincerely-held Christian beliefs or an effort to purchase political capital with religious coin, the result is the same,” Currie said. “The statute is clearly unconstitutional and defense of its implementation has embroiled the state in unnecessary (and expensive) litigation.”

The ruling, however, will likely be appealed to Fourth District Court of Appeals.

---

Gotta love that last paragraph.

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[upchuck]

For those of you pissed off by Currie’s decision, go give her a rating at: http://www.therobingroom.com/Judge.aspx?ID=825

[sten]

i seem to remember pro-abortion plates... which would be endorsing the religion of death... what’s wrong with promoting Christianity again? it’d only be a problem if it was the ONLY religious plate available.

solution: make plates available for those main religions represented in the state, producing a percentage equal to the local populace

if the area was 90% Christians, 5% agnostic, 3% Jewish, 2% islam, and 1% atheist, then produce the same proportion of custom plates... or allow for special orders and make all available within a timeframe. simple and brings in money to the state.

is this really so complicated?

[GOPsterinMA]

Has SC been invaded by Massholechusetts judges? WTH is going on there?

[hope]

Revelation 18:4

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;