U.S. Supreme Court to hear Confederate flag specialty license plate case
A long-standing legal battle between the state and supporters of Confederate flag license plate is getting its turn in the highest court.
The Supreme Court will determine how much power states have in regulating controversial messages on government-issued property. The case is expected to be heard in March.
The Department of Motor Vehicles board twice rejected the Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ application for a specialty license plate bearing the Confederate battle flag because of concerns that the plate would be offensive to many.
An appeals court ruled this summer that the DMV had engaged in “viewpoint discrimination” when it denied the group’s request. The state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, citing split decisions in similar cases across the country.
The court typically agrees to hear between 80 and 90 cases of the nearly 10,000 petitions it receives.