May 02, 2002
State Won't Appeal Rebel Flag License Ruling
Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore today said the state will abide by a federal appellate court decision requiring Virginia to issue a specialty license plate that includes the likeness of a Confederate flag.
The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a district court ruling that Virginia could not withhold the flag tags.
Kilgore put it this way: "Now, two courts, including a unanimous panel of the Fourth Circuit, have ruled that the law unconstitutionally limits speech."
Kilgore said state lawyers said they didn't think they could win in the U.S. Supreme Court much less get the high court to take the case. "It's time to move on," he said.
The license plate controversy started in 1999 when legislators struck from the Confederate Heritage tag a likeness of the Confederate battle flag. Some legislators argued that the logo was racially offensive.