The Ohio BMV agreed to loosen its grip on what people can and can’t say on their specialty license plates, federal court documents show.
Just days after facing a second lawsuit over rejecting requests for plate messages, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles on Sept. 11 agreed to make changes:
After the parties worked out their differences, U.S. District Court Judge Dan Aaron Polster ordered the latest lawsuit dismissed.
Saki and Mahdavi, who are represented by Cleveland attorney Brian Bardwell, filed the lawsuit Sept. 9.
Bardwell is also handling another lawsuit that challenges the Ohio BMV’s decision to reject a plate request. His client Jeffrey Wonser of Health wanted F46 LGB on his plate. The F46 in the number is an reference to President Joe Biden who is the 46th president. LGB stands for Let’s Go Brandon, which has become a less obscene stand-in for insulting the former president.
The Ohio BMV prohibits word and letter combinations that are profane, sexually explicit, advocate lawlessness or could provoke a violent response. The criteria stemmed from a 2003 settlement with Anthony Zucco, who sued the state after his application for RDRAGE was rejected.
The agency rejects about 750 to 850 requests each year.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@gannett.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: You can say GAY on your license plate, Ohio BMV says after being sued
Reporting by Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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