Posted on 02/12/2014 6:34:38 AM PST by Innovative
North Carolina's anti-abortion license plate is unconstitutional because the state doesn't provide the same forum for motorists on the other side of the contentious issue, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
A three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a federal judge's ruling that the "Choose Life" license plate is unconstitutional.
Lawmakers approved the anti-abortion plates in 2011 and rejected proposals to offer plates with messages "Trust Women" and "Respect Choice." That constitutes "blatant viewpoint discrimination squarely at odds with the First Amendment," wrote appeals court Judge James A. Wynn, who is from North Carolina.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I hope this goes all the way to the Supreme Court.
What is unconstitutional is to forbid someone's free speech right of saying "Choose Life".
What is happening to this country, when you can't have a "Choose Life" license plate?!
See the Tenth amendment die.
If I were whoever controls license plates there I’d ignore those federal bastiges.
Was this Fed Judge in NC in Asheville?
” . . . because the state doesn’t provide the same forum for motorists on the other side of the contentious issue,”
If choosing life is a contentious issue, offering the option of “Choose Death” plates doesn’t seem that tough to do.
This is madness.
Is this insane court saying that NAMBLA should have the “right” to have, “sex before 8, or it’s too late” on a license plate?
Pretty convoluted reasoning, wouldn’t you say?
Judge James A. Wynn, Jr.
http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/judges/judges-of-the-court/judge-james-a-wynn-jr-
“Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Nominated by Barack Obama on November 4, 2009, to a seat vacated by James Dickson Phillips, Jr.; Confirmed by the Senate on August 5, 2010, and received commission on August 10, 2010.”
What a surprise, he was nominated by Obama... :(
“North Carolina’s anti-abortion license plate is unconstitutional”
Actually the plate is clearly “Pro Choice”.
I am of the opinion that the reasoning is sound but applied incorrectly. I would think that the first amendment would allow not only the plate in question but would also allow those that support abortion to have their vanity plates as well.
The SCOUTS has already ruled that the mob does not have veto authority over the message. In this case, those that support abortion do not have the right to silence the speech of those that oppose abortion and the reverse is true as well.
Planned Parenthood and its henchhags should make their message crisp and clear with “Choose Abortion” license plates.
License plates need to go back to being license plates and not advertisements and statements and sports ads, etc.
I live in NC and told a friend that the DMV should authorize a “Choose Death” one for the pro-aborts. Problem solved.
Stupid issue.
There shouldn’t be any political or commercial message on any license plate for either side. The government should be neutral.
If you want to express yourself, buy a bumper sticker
They should make another plate available. “choose death”
You make valid points — but then why wasn’t the suit about allowing “Trust Women” and “Respect Choice.” license plates, as part of free speech, instead of suing to FORBID free speech of putting “choose life” on a license plate?!
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Uhhhhhhh...just what IS the other side of choosing life?
Just get a Choose Life bumper sticker. A state-issued license plate should just be a license plate.
So by the judges logic, any other of the state issued vanity license plates (of which their are hundreds) should also be unconstitutional if there isn’t one for the opposing view “Example: Support Wildlife Conservation (Where’s Oppose Wildlife Conservation?) Remember 9/11 (Where’s Forget 9/11?)
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