October 21, 2008
As you drive around your home city, you see license plates. In recent years, more and more "personalized" vanity plates have become the focus of driver creativity and civic promotion. Most of you have options when it comes to choosing one. There are plates for unions, wildlife advocacy, university alumni, and even hospice care advocates. The state allows a portion of the proceeds from the sales of those plates go to the sponsoring organization. Arizona also offers many of these plates as options for groups, but until a recent court ruling, pro-life groups were left out.
The Arizona Life Coalition, a 100,000-member organization, applied for a specialty license plate with the slogan "Choose Life" in 2002. The Arizona License Plate Commission, which oversees such requests, denied the application.
|
 |
|
Click on image to enlarge. |
In September 2003, ADF attorneys filed suit jointly with the Center for Arizona Policy on behalf of the coalition. More than
four years later, and after losses of tens of thousands of dollars, in January 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the commission had violated Life Coalition's First Amendment right to free speech when the commission denied the request to create the license plate. The commission asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review that decision, which it declined to do last week. That decision clears the way for the license plates to be offered to the public.
"
Pro-life groups shouldn't be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs," said ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb. "
Pro-life advocates have the same First Amendment rights as anyone else in America. Many other groups were allowed to participate in the Arizona specialty plate program, and there was no legitimate reason to selectively exclude this group. We're glad that the Supreme Court has let this decision stand and that the state of Arizona must make the 'Choose Life' license plate available."
We are praising God for this victory. It's one to celebrate for two reasons – it protects religious liberty while enabling us to promote the sanctity of life.
Now, Arizona drivers can express their support for the sanctity of all human life – as freely as they can choose to make their cars a rolling advocate for any number of other causes. State bureaucrats cannot play favorites when it comes to free speech. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized that – and we give God all the glory for this victory.
Thank you for your support these last four-plus years as we fought this case. Currently, we are fighting a similar case in Missouri and appreciate your prayers for that situation, as well. Together, with God's grace, we will continue to win!