On Wednesday, a federal judge in Grand Rapids ruled that the state had no right to ban license plates they requested that read “INF1DL,” a variation of the word “infidel,” which refers to a non-believer, or one that read “WAR SUX.”
Niraj Warikoo reports in the Free Press Judge Gordon Quist said in his ruling: “The First Amendment applies to messages on personalized license plates.”
Judge Quist said that the state law restricting what license plates can say is “unconstitutionally vague and overbroad.” In a consent agreement reached, the state is now prohibited from enforcing the section of a state law that says it can prohibit license plates seens as indecent and in bad taste.
The Michigan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit, hailed Wednesday’s decision as a victory for free speech.
