The Right to Life group in TN spent time and money to go through the proper channels and requirements for the law passed which allowed a specialty plate saying “Choose Life” to be passed into law. The ACLU at that time wanted the state to also allow a “Pro-Choice” specialty plate but of course there had been no effort to follow the proper channels and requirements. The ACLU figured they’d just strong arm the state to piggyback their specialty plates with the law passed for the “Choose Life” specialty plates. When this didn’t work for the ACLU they of course did what the ACLU always does, sued the state.

When a federal district judge sided with the ACLU a year ago the TN Right To Life organization appealed. The lawsuit has now gone to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Supposedly all of TN’s specialty plate’s program is now in jeopardy or may be on hold til the case is settled. I don’t see in the article just why that would occur but there are all sorts of groups in a tither about this. It’s called the law of unintended consequences since one of these groups is an environmental group. Apparently these specialty plates can raise alot of money.

I did read a new term in the article though:

A year ago, a federal district judge in Nashville sided with the ACLU, saying that the state was engaging in “viewpoint discrimination.”

State worries about fate of specialty plates - Thursday, 09/29/05

Linked to Gribbit’s Stop The ACLU Blogburst
Linked to Mudville Gazette Open Post