A Texas board voted unanimously Thursday to deny an application for specialty license plates featuring the Confederate battle flag, setting the stage for a legal showdown.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles board voted 8-0 to deny an application for a license plate by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The specialty plate would have depicted a Confederate battle flag, a square emblem crisscrossed by the Stars and Bars.
Michael Givens, SCV commander-in-chief, said the organization would file a lawsuit challenging the Texas DMV decision. The group has tangled in court with several other states over Confederate-themed license plates, and has always won.
“What’s really disturbing is that now their state is going to have to pay for a lawsuit. And we’ve never lost,” said Mr. Givens.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, who opposed the proposed license plate, called the vote “a welcome decision.” The vote at the board’s regular meeting in Austin, Texas, came after two hours of emotional public testimony.
“License plates are designed to promote tourism and commerce, to create positive identity and awareness, and to showcase those riches that make our state unique,” said Mrs. Jackson Lee in a statement. “The Confederate flag, long recognized in our generation a symbol of slavery, racism and defeat, accomplishes none of those purposes.” Read More
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