Post by bistro on May 9, 2014 20:25:29 GMT -5
Pro se plaintiff wins court victory in bid for ‘COPSLIE’ license plates
May 7, 2014 By Debra Cassens Weiss www.abajournal.com/news/article/pro_se_plaintiff_wins_court_victory_in_bid_for_copslie_license_plates/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=ABA+Journal+Daily+News
A New Hampshire resident formerly known as David Montenegro has won a free-speech victory in his bid to obtain a vanity license plate reading “COPSLIE.”
The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled (PDF) that a regulation used to deny the plate violated the Frist Amendment because it is vague and invites discriminatory enforcement. The regulation barred vanity license plates that are offensive to a reasonable person’s good taste.
Montenegro formally changed his name to “human” in 2012, according to Reuters and the Associated Press, which have reports on the decision.
Several Department of Motor Vehicle employees had deemed Montenegro’s initial request for a “COPSLIE” plate in 2010 to be insulting, the opinion says. When he reapplied for “COPSLIE,” he offered alternative choices in order of preference. The DMV instead allowed his second choice, “GR8GOVT.” Montenegro never accepted the second-choice plate and instead accepted standard plates.
May 7, 2014 By Debra Cassens Weiss www.abajournal.com/news/article/pro_se_plaintiff_wins_court_victory_in_bid_for_copslie_license_plates/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=ABA+Journal+Daily+News
A New Hampshire resident formerly known as David Montenegro has won a free-speech victory in his bid to obtain a vanity license plate reading “COPSLIE.”
The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled (PDF) that a regulation used to deny the plate violated the Frist Amendment because it is vague and invites discriminatory enforcement. The regulation barred vanity license plates that are offensive to a reasonable person’s good taste.
Montenegro formally changed his name to “human” in 2012, according to Reuters and the Associated Press, which have reports on the decision.
Several Department of Motor Vehicle employees had deemed Montenegro’s initial request for a “COPSLIE” plate in 2010 to be insulting, the opinion says. When he reapplied for “COPSLIE,” he offered alternative choices in order of preference. The DMV instead allowed his second choice, “GR8GOVT.” Montenegro never accepted the second-choice plate and instead accepted standard plates.