Judge Rules Virginia DMV Can't Revoke This Anti-Muslim Plate

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Remember the guy whose ICUHAJI vanity plates were confiscated by the Virginia DMV on the grounds that they were offensive to Muslims? He fought the decision, and a judge ruled that the DMV had to either return the tags or come up with a better reason for taking them away.

Sean Bujno, an Iraq veteran who had been honorably discharged in 2009, had the plates on his car for nearly four years before someone called in a complaint. Haji, a term of respect in Muslim circles, was also a pejorative term used by U.S. soldiers to describe Iraqis.

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The judge ruled that if the DMV allows license plates celebrating or praising religions, then they should also allow ones that disparage them. It's unfortunate that Bujno exercises his right to be an asshole by channeling his hatred toward an entire religious group, but free speech is free speech. I'm not surprised that this was the outcome.

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We'll see how the Virginia DMV reacts. They may find another reason for keeping Bujno's plates, but if there's any rhyme to the way they go about making decisions, we have yet to decipher it.

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So, this guy keeps his plate, but this guy doesn't.