Suit: Nev. DMV Biased vs. Palin, Conservatives

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles allows vanity license plates containing liberal messages, but nixes ones with conservative ones, claims a lawsuit against the agency, as reported by the Las Vegas Sun.

James Linlor’s complaint alleges that his application for plates that had “GOPALIN” and similar messages were rejected in 2009 and 2010 because of their being “vulgar or obscene or expressing superiority of political affiliation.” A judge overturned the DMV’s prohibition against political plates, but continued to reject Linlor’s plates, says his suit.

Linlor then found that the DMV had allowed vanity plates celebrating Democratic leaders and causes, including “GOGREEN,” “DMOCRAT,” “AL GORE,” and “HILLARY,” but had rejected plates such as “REPBLCN” and “BUSH,” his suit alleges.

“The actions of the DMV in selectively granting some ‘political’ license plate requests while denying others are unconstitutional on grounds of content and viewpoint discrimination, and should be enjoined as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution,” says Linlor’s suit.

The Nevada DMV is reviewing its policies, reports the Sun. Its director, Bruce Breslow, said, “I would not have denied” Linlor’s plate honoring former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.