A federal appeals court has ruled that the State of New York may prohibit the issuance of “Choose Life” license plates.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals decided that plates with the message “Choose Life” could be considered “patently offensive.”

A pro-adoption group called the Children First Foundation had applied to the New York Division of Motor Vehicles for approval of a specialty license plate with the “Choose Life” message.

Like similar plates in other states including Illinois, the design of the plate includes a drawing of the faces of a boy and a girl in front of a yellow sun.

New York motor vehicle officials denied the application, saying that they wished “to avoid any appearance of governmental support for either side in the divisive national abortion debate.”

The Department also invoked a policy that allows it to deny plates that are “patently offensive” in their content.  Such regulations are usually established to prohibit messages that are obscene or pornographic.

The State also claimed their action was necessary to prevent road rage.  Officials stated they “will not place an instrument on public roadways which may engender violent discourse among drivers.”

The 2nd Circuit panel has now upheld that decision in a 2-1 ruling.  Judge Rosemary Pooler wrote in her decision that many residents of New York were likely to find the pro-life message “patently offensive.”

Judge Pooler also stated in her opinion that residents of New York who wanted to communicate their pro-life sentiments were free to affix a bumper sticker to their vehicle.

Judge Debra Ann Livingston dissented from the ruling.  She argued that the federal court was granting Department of Motor Vehicles officials the authority to suppress any viewpoints they don’t like.

Jeremy Tedesco, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, decried the court’s ruling.  “The state doesn’t have the authority to target [these] specialty license plates for censorship based on their life-affirming viewpoint.”

“Pro-adoption organizations should have the same speech rights as any other organization,” Tedesco continued.  “The circuit court has denied free speech in favor of government censorship.”

You can learn more about the legal efforts to authorize a “Choose Life” license plate in our state by visiting this website: Illinois Choose Life

Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission has already handed down its decision in a case involving a baker who favors biblical marriage – now it will hear one concerning a baker who favors same-sex “marriage.” A customer walked into Azucar Bakery in Denver and requested a cake in the shape of a Bible inscribed with what bakery owner Marjorie Silva describes as “a hateful message” and an “X” through the image of a same-sex couple.

Silva agreed to bake the cake in the shape requested, but refused to add the inscription. The customer left and later filed a complaint before the Commission.

Alliance Defending Freedom represents Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips, who has already been found guilty of discrimination because, based on his Christian faith, he refused to do a special cake for a same-gender “wedding.” ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco argues that Silva has every right to decline to promote a message with which she sincerely disagrees – the same stance ADF took in defending Phillips.

“So the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which now has a complaint before it on [the Silva] case, has to decide whether this baker is going to have their First Amendment rights respected – or if they’re going to be put in the same position as Jack Phillips, who faces potentially losing his business just because they exercised their First Amendment right.

“We support the right of this baker who didn’t want to create a cake that was contrary to their beliefs,” he summarizes.

Tedesco says the state can go one of two ways in the matter.

“Colorado is either going to have to say We don’t care about anybody’s First Amendment rights in our state – or they may say, Well, we’re going to play favorites. We’re going to allow the baker who supports same-sex marriage to decline to provide services to people who object to that point of view.”

According to the attorney, the state would be stating the latter by allowing the baker who supports homosexual marriage to get away with it and letting stand the punishment against Christian baker Phillips. He has taken his case to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

This article was originally posted at the OneNewsNow.com website.

An Idaho pastor and his wife have won a showdown with the city of Couer d’Alene over demands that they preside over same-sex union ceremonies.

Donald and Evelyn Knapp, who are both ordained Pentecostal ministers, have operated The Hitching Post Lakeside Chapel in Coeur d’Alene since 1989.

City officials had previously informed the Knapps that they must perform same-sex “weddings” at their chapel, or face the potential of a $1000 fine for each day of violation and up to 180 days in jail.

City attorneys said the failure by the couple to do so would violate the city’s non-discrimination ordinance, which prohibits bias against persons based on so-called “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”

City officials said the Knapps must comply because The Hitching Post is operated as a for-profit corporation.  The Knapps responded by filing suit in federal court arguing that the edict was a violation of their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.

The Knapps stated publicly that they would shut down The Hitching Post before they would take actions contrary to what the Bible teaches.

Following a controversy that attracted national headlines, city officials have reversed their position.   They now say that the Knapps’ lakeside chapel is exempt from the ordinance because the business is a “religious corporation.”

In their lawsuit, the Knapps asserted that they believe that “God created two distinct genders in His Image” and “that God ordained marriage to be between one man and one woman.”

The weddings conducted by the Knapps are distinctly Christian in nature.  Scriptures are read during the ceremonies, and couples are provided with sermons on Christian marriage and recommended books on the subject.

Jeremy Tedesco, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, says the city’s treatment of the ministers is a predictable result of the “special rights” laws pushed by homosexual advocates.

“We’ve been told that pastors would never be forced to perform ceremonies that are completely at odds with their faith.  Yet that’s exactly what is happening here, and it is happening this quickly.”

Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, says that the Hitching Post case reveals the true intentions of the so-called “marriage equality” movement.

“Americans are witnesses to the reality that redefining marriage is less about the marriage altar, and more about fundamentally altering the freedoms of the other 98 percent of Americans.”

Please support the work of Illinois Family Institute.

ADF letter supports board’s decision to listen to concerns of community