The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision on Thursday that Texas is within its rights to prohibit a controversial Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate featuring the Confederate army's battle flag.
Texas' specialty plate program counts as government free speech, the court ruled, meaning that an individual's First Amendment rights do not prohibit the state from rejecting designs of a person's choosing. Texas, along with 11 other states, suggested that First Amendment challenges do not apply to government-issued license plates. Drivers can use bumper stickers or decals to express their messages instead.
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