Breaking News Huge Victory

Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Arizona License Plate Commission violated the First Amendment when it denied a request by the Arizona Life Coalition for a "Choose Life" license plate. In a unanimous ruling, the Court cleared the way for Choose Life license plates to be made available to the public. This victory resulted from a joint legal effort involving CAP General Counsel Peter Gentala and Alliance Defense Fund attorneys Jeff Shafer and Gary McCaleb. Jeff Shafer argued the case before the Ninth Circuit last October.

Since 2002, the Life Coalition has sought to participate in a program that allows nonprofit organizations to obtain a "special organization license plate," which includes the organization's name, logo, and slogan. Proceeds from plate sales go to support the organization's work in the community. In 2003, the Arizona License Plate Commission denied the Life Coalition's application. Life Coalition filed a federal lawsuit, and a federal judge upheld the Commission's decision in 2005. Today's decision from the Ninth Circuit reverses that decision.

The Ninth Circuit judges agreed unanimously with Arizona Life Coalition's claim that the Choose Life plate application had been denied due to discrimination against the pro-life viewpoint.

"Consequently, because abortion-related speech falls within the boundaries of Arizona's limited public forum, and because the Commission clearly denied the application based on the nature of the message, we conclude the Commission's actions were viewpoint discriminatory.

We also hold that the Commission acted unreasonably by denying Life Coalition's application for reasons not statutorily based or related to the purpose of the limited public forum."

You can read the entire opinion on our web site at azpolicy.org/pdf/ffa/ALC.pdf

The Life Coalition's message has been censored for six years. Now it's time for the Commission to act quickly to approve the plates so they can go into production as the law requires. The "Choose Life" plate will cost $25 with $17 of that amount going to the Life Coalition, which will use the funds to provide resources and services for women facing crisis pregnancies. When the plates are available, we will make sure you are among the first to know!

Today's victory reminds us all to not grow weary in well doing but to take heart! It may take years to achieve these court victories, but days like this do happen!!!