A US District Judge has officially struck down a Christian-themed license plate that had been approved by the South Carolina Legislature. Judge Cameron Currie ruled that the plate was a violation of the First Amendment, which prohibits Congress from making a law “respecting an establishment of religion.” The South Carolina plate featured an image of a cross in front of a stained-glass window, accompanied by the words “I Believe.”
“Whether motivated by sincerely held Christian beliefs or an effort to purchase political capital with religious coin, the result is the same,” Judge Currie wrote in her decision. “The statute is clearly unconstitutional and defense of its implementation has embroiled the state in unnecessary (and expensive) litigation.”
The license plate was pushed through by South Carolina lawmakers last year, and according to The Associated Press, Judge Currie singled out Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in her ruling. The state of South Carolina has been ordered to cover the legal expense of groups that battled against the plate’s approval, including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
We are glad to see that this was shot down. Glad to see that separation of church, state and automobile have been preserved.
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