Anti-Abortion License Plates in N.C. Tossed
North Carolina’s “Choose Life” license plate is unconstitutional because the state does not offer the same opportunity to those who would express another view on abortion, the 4th Circuit ruled.
The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the Richmond, Va.-based appellate court upholds a ruling by Senior U.S. District Judge James Fox in Raleigh, N.C.
North Carolina lawmakers approved the anti-abortion plates in June 2011, while rejecting half a dozen proposals to also offer plates bearing the messages “Trust Women” and “Respect Choice.”
Then-Gov. Beverly Perdue’s signing of the bill into law also came in spite of the 4th Circuit’s 2004 decision to strike down that very plate in neighboring South Carolina as unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
More: Courthouse News Service