Will South Carolina Christian license plate ever 'see the light of day'?
Apparently, "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper stickers aren't enough for some motorists to proclaim their faith to the person tailgating them on the interstate.
Last May, the South Carolina state legislature unanimously voted to endorse an "I Believe" license plate, bearing the image of a cross and a stained glass window. Governor Mark Sanford then allowed the bill to become law without his signature.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) was quick to file suit against the legislation, and AU executive director Rev. Barry Lynn tells CNN, "I do believe these 'I Believe' plates will not see the light of day."
"The state has made believers of non-Christian faiths feel that they are second-class citizens," Lynn explained in an AU press release. "Under our Constitution, that’s impermissible." A similar plate was recently proposed in Florida but was rejected because of concerns over the separation of church and state.
The AU suit was filed on behalf of three ministers, a rabbi, and the Hindu American Foundation. One of the plaintiffs, Unitarian Universalist minister Neal Jones, explained in an Independence Day column for South Carolina's largest newspaper, "The law to create a Christian license plate, along with another law passed during the most recent session of the General Assembly to post the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer on public buildings, implies that Christianity is the official state religion. I wish our legislators would read the Constitution as avidly as they read public opinion polls. ... I also wish they would read U.S. history, for while it is true that America is a nation of Christians, we are not a Christian nation, despite the misguided proclamations of the religious right to the contrary."
Within hours of the filing of the suit, AU's inbox had filled up with hate mail. According to an AU blog, "One correspondent condemned Lynn, likened him to a slayer of prophets, asserted that Barry’s soul was sold to unbelievers, questioned his personal faith and then signed his e-mail under the salutation 'respectfully.' That was a nice touch."
CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin explained to John Roberts that the plates potentially violate the constitution both because they create an "establishment" of religion and because they favor Christianity over other religions and non-belief. However, South Carolina's attorney general insisted in a letter to CNN that "The legislation creating the 'I Believe' license plate is based on sound legal principles."
South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer has also defended the plates as representing freedom of speech. He accuses opponents of anti-Christian prejudice and has offered to personally pay the refundable $4000 deposit required by the Department of Motor Vehicles before the plate is put into production. This, Lynn says, only "more deeply confirms this is a government-sponsored program."
As stated in the AU lawsuit, "While individuals and religious organizations of minority beliefs wishing to express their spiritual views on their license plates may apply to the DMV for approval of organizational or personalized vanity plates, the expressive speech permitted under the DMV-approval scheme is significantly more restricted than the scheme that the legislature created through the 'I Believe' Act. Organizational plates may display only the name of the sponsoring organization and the organization’s official logo; no other emblems, symbols, or iconography are permitted, and expressive words and/or phrases, such as 'I Believe,' are prohibited."
CNN's Hostin concludes, "My legal background tells me that this would be a violation and that a federal judge will probably strike it down."
This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast July 8, 2008.
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