Good news, trouble makers!
This week, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the state of California can't deny vanity license plates that are deemed "offensive to good taste and decency", calling it a free speech violation.
According to AP News, the suit cited the examples below:
— “DUK N A,” which the lawsuit says is short for Ducati motorcycles and Andrea, the first name of plaintiff. The department said that it sounded obscene.
— “BO11UX,” though the lawsuit says “bullocks” has been used in advertising campaigns to mean “nonsense."
— “SLAAYRR,” a reference to the metal band.
— “QUEER,” referencing the plaintiff’s sexual orientation and his record label, Queer Folks Records.
The judge ruled on Tuesday that license plates can't carry "connotations offensive to good taste and decency," citing multiple U.S. Supreme Court free-speech cases.
“This is a great day for our clients and the 250,000 Californians that seek to express their messages on personalized license plates each year,” attorney Wen Fa of the Pacific Legal Foundation said in a statement. “Vague bans on offensive speech allow bureaucrats to inject their subjective preferences and undermine the rule of law.”
Have you ever had a vanity license plate? What did it say?! Tweet us @GaryandShannon!
Read the full report on KTLA.