The notoriously liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Arizona’s Choose Life license plates, calling a lower court ruling a violation of the First Amendment.
Attorneys for the state had argued the license plates might be considered offensive, but the justices said Arizona officials “clearly denied the application based on the nature of the message” — a violation of free speech.
Jeff Schafer, the Alliance Defense Fund attorney who argued on behalf of the Arizona Life Coalition, said the court got it right.
“It’s a testimony to how clear this First Amendment right is, that the 9th Circuit indeed came out in favor of our position," he said.
The license plates are receiving judicial support nationwide, according to Russ Amerling, whose group, Choose Life, has coordinated similar campaigns in 46 states.
“We are winning in every lawsuit … and there are about a dozen of them," he said.
More than $8 million has been raised for pregnancy resource centers in the 16 states that offer the plates.
