Politics & Government

POLL: Woman Denied '8THEIST' License Plate, Sues New Jersey

Woman claims the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission denied her First Amendment rights. What do you think?

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is attracting a lot of attention this weekend, but it’s not because of long waiting lines or embarrassing driver’s license photos.

According to an Associated Press report, a New Jersey woman filed suit Thursday, claiming that she was denied a vanity license plate saying she’s an atheist.

Shannon Morgan, of Maurice River Township, filed a federal lawsuit against the MVC claiming that the Commission’s website rejected a plate she submitted that read ‘8THEIST,’ the report said. In her suit, Morgan claims the rejection violates her First Amendment rights, it said.

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According to the report – which has run on multiple media outlets including time.com – Morgan claims she first tried to get a plate saying ‘BAPTIST’ approved on the site as a test, and was approved.

The NJMVC did not return AP calls for comments, but was closed Friday, the report said.

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So, Patch wants to know – what do you think about the vanity plate? Who should win the lawsuit? Vote in the Patch poll above and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


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