January 29, 2008
College students across the country have returned to school. In their honor, let’s begin with a short quiz. What do these groups have in common?
- A cattleman’s foundation
- A conservancy group
- A military support organization
- An autism foundation
- A pro-life group
You may have concluded that nothing ties these groups together, and you would probably be right – outside of Missouri.
Inside Missouri, all of these organizations were granted government approval to create specialty license plates promoting their activities … all, that is, except one.
At the very same committee hearing where the first four groups received acceptance, the pro-life group was denied. In fact, Choose Life of Missouri was denied twice: once at the original hearing, and then again in an appeal.
Two state senators – members of the committee – said they didn’t believe the slogan “Choose Life” was acceptable. One claimed the subject was “very divisive” and “totally inappropriate for a license plate.” Ironically, this same senator sponsored a bill in 2005 to
create a pro-abortion license plate!
I don’t suppose it’s possible that viewpoint discrimination was at work? After all, neither the Missouri Constitution nor the U.S. Constitution allows state officials to discriminate against politically and socially conservative speech. And yet that’s exactly what happened.
ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of Choose Life of Missouri in 2006, and last Wednesday, a federal court ruled in our client’s favor, declaring the state’s statute that outlines the approval process for specialty plates unconstitutional.
“The statute does not provide the Joint Committee with specific standards or guidelines upon which to base their decisions and no explanation is required for a denial of one’s application,” wrote Senior U.S. District Judge Scott O. Wright.
“As a result, [the statute] is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad.” The court’s order requires the state to approve the plate. The money generated from the Choose Life plates will go to support Missouri pro-life organizations and causes.
This is a
tremendous victory for free speech, and for life. In a world bombarded with the opposite message, it is imperative that the pro-life message not be silenced. All of life wins when the pro-life message rings loud and clear.
The full text of the order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Western Division, in
Choose Life of Missouri v. Vincent is available at
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/ChooseLifeMOorder.pdf.
We will continue to support the sanctity of life – in hospitals, in the womb, in the pharmacy, and yes…even on license plates. Together, we can, and
will, re-establish a culture of life in the courts of America.
LATE BREAKING: Another victory for life in Arizona. Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that a federal district court was wrong to deny a private organization's "Choose Life" license plate design. In the decision, the court ordered the lower court to take necessary action to ensure the plates are approved. Read more at
www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4371.