INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Thousands of Indiana residents who want to personalize their license plates must wait while officials decide whether to appeal a judge's ruling that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles arbitrarily granted or withheld permission for such tags.
A judge ruled last week that the state violated vanity plate applicants' free speech rights by turning down some requests while allowing other similar plates.
The bureau was defended by the Indiana attorney general's office, which said Tuesday it's still considering whether to appeal.
The number of personal license plates sold had been on a strong growth trend since 2011 until last year, when the BMV suspended applications due to the lawsuit over denial of vanity plates.
The suit was filed by a police officer whose “OINK” plate was revoked.
