New York Prevails On ‘Choose Life’ Plate Ban
MANHATTAN (CN) - New York’s decision not to issue “Choose Life” vanity plates because the state feared the anti-abortion message might inspire road rage was “viewpoint neutral” and therefore will stand, a divided 2nd Circuit ruled on Friday.
The license plates proposed by the Children First Foundation display its logo of a crudely-drawn sketch of two smiling children over the well-known political message.
Despite the sunny imagery, New York State’s commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles saw a public safety hazard in bringing a burning controversy to the Empire State’s roadways.
Commissioner Barbara Fiala’s department decided that putting the DMV’s stamp on the plates “would readily be perceived as governmental support for one side of a controversy that has existed in this country for several decades.”
More: Courthouse News Service