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Appeals Court Upholds Indiana's "God" Plates
mood: 
aggravated
aggravated
In an article in the Chicago Tribune , the appeals court has ruled that the state's subsidy of a license plate design which contains a religious message is constitutional. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) last year began offering a specialty plate, for which a $15 fee is normally charged, containing the message "In God We Trust". In fact, when I renewed my plates last year, this design was presented by the clerk as the official plate, and I had to specifically request a non-religious message on a standard plate.
The court's opinion was summarized thus:
The court found that the General Assembly’s license plate system “is reasonably related to the inherent characteristics of the license plates.”
In a statement on the ruling, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said that “In God We Trust” – the motto found on U.S. currency – “has found deep support among our fellow citizens.”
“So often when there is a reference to a supreme being in the public arena, objections are made. With the court’s ruling, those objections have failed and the Legislature’s will has been sustained,” Carter said.
In a statement on the ruling, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said that “In God We Trust” – the motto found on U.S. currency – “has found deep support among our fellow citizens.”
“So often when there is a reference to a supreme being in the public arena, objections are made. With the court’s ruling, those objections have failed and the Legislature’s will has been sustained,” Carter said.
What strikes me is the court's confusion of "a reference to a supreme being in the public arena" with the actual subsidization of a religious message using taxpayer dollars, and the presentation that message as the official plate. I don't understand how this cannot be state sponsored religion.
