When the State of Delaware tried to revoke a woman’s vanity license plate because of perceived profanity, she gave them the “F” for “effort”. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
A Delaware breast cancer survivor applied for—and received—a vanity license plate that read “FCANCER.” But a year later, she got a letter from the DMV saying the plate was offensive and being recalled, so she filed a lawsuit to keep it. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but profanity can be regulated, which is why it can be banned on license plates.
But the license plate in question doesn’t actually spell out the F word; instead, according to the DMV, it’s a perceived profanity. The government doesn’t get unbridled discretion to decide what is and what isn’t acceptable, and the DMV’s own road signs for road safety told motorists to “get your head out of your apps” which may effectively prevent them from arguing that they prohibit perceived profanity.
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