A NJ woman who wants her car license plate to reflect her atheist beliefs is taking the state's Motor Vehicle Commission to court. Shannon Morgan, of Maurice River Township, claims that the MVC's website rejected her proposed license plate combination, "8THEIST" as "objectionable."
However, when Morgan typed in "BAPTIST," that was totally cool. Morgan said, "There is nothing offensive about being atheist. I should be able to express my sincerely held beliefs with a license plate just like everyone else."
The Americans United for Separation of Church and State is representing Morgan in the First Amendment lawsuit. The DC-based group explains it is "dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans."
The lawsuit claims that Morgan contacted the MVC about the license plate, but a NJ MVC spokesperson pointed out that an atheist-themed plate has been issued before. Last year, another NJ atheist, David Silverman, fought to get a his "ATHE1ST" plate.
The suit does refer to Silverman's struggle: "“he commission thus has a practice of denying personalized license plates that identify vehicle owners as atheists, thereby discriminating against atheist viewpoints and expressing a preference for theism over non-theism... Although the commission eventually relented and granted Mr. Silverman his requested license plate, it refuses to allow Ms. Morgan’s requested plate."
