Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas DMV Forces Teacher To Remove His Anti-Trump Vanity License Plate After Complaints

Texas DMV Forces Teacher To Remove His Anti-Trump Vanity License Plate After Complaints
CBSDFW; Getty Images

Vanity plates or personalized license plates are a way for motorists to express their individuality on their vehicle beyond a bumper sticker.

Some plates are clever acronyms for other motorists to solve while others are pretty straightforward in their message.


But not every message can make it onto a state issued license plate.

Most states in the USA prohibit profanity and violent terms on their plates. Other states have a more broad ban on anything deemed "offensive" or "derogatory."

But who decides what's offensive or derogatory?

A motorist in Texas can't answer that question, but he did run afoul of whoever can.

History teacher Jerry Balkenbush initially got permission from the Texas DMV for the vanity plate "JAIL 45." But after receiving his plate in the mail, someone complained to the DMV.

Now what the state of Texas giveth, the state of Texas taketh away.

See news coverage here:

youtu.be

Balkenbush shared his plate on Facebook in November.

Whether that is what prompted the complaint to the DMV, or if it was another motorist seeing his Mustang tooling around Texas was not revealed in the DMV's letter to Balkenbush.

Balkenbush and legal analysts are citing the First Amendment in response.

And in this case, the amendment may actually apply. While other cases involving individuals and their employers or customers or private businesses like social media companies do not offer freedom from consequences for the exercise of free speech, the amendment states a person won't have their free speech curtailed by the government.

Despite the apparent complaint and revocation by the Texas DMV, Balkenbush saw plenty of support on his Facebook post.

Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook


Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook


Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook


Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook


Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook


Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook


Jerry Balkenbush/Facebook

The Texas teacher stated:

"My license plate is peaceful. It does not harm anybody."
"If we can't protest the government, then what direction are we headed towards? [President Trump is] a crook [who] needs to go to jail."
"I really feel like it was a violation of my freedom of speech against the government."

The US Air Force veteran said he was targeted with hate messages once he made the local news.

"I did not foresee the hate coming, the nasty words and profanity towards me and towards my wife. I feel like this is the new normal in our politics."

While many concur that this is a potential First Amendment case, Blakenbush has no plans to fight the DMV. Instead he chose new vanity plates that the state of Texas approved.

His new ones will say "OBAMA."

More from People/donald-trump

Ribvar Karimi and Morgan Gardner Karimi
Morgan Karimi/Facebook

Alabama Woman 'Blindsided' After ICE Detains Her Trump-Supporting Iranian Husband

Another day, another MAGA face eaten by a leopard.

The "it wasn't supposed to happen to me" movement claimed two more victims on Sunday, June 22, when Ribvar Karimi was abducted by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a sweep that included 11 Iranians.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Admits That Banning Fluoridated Water Will Cause 'More Cavities'—But He's OK With That

Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was criticized after admitting in a Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner that his proposed fluoridated water ban would likely lead people to have more cavities—but defended the move nonetheless.

While fluoride is not federally mandated in drinking water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had long recommended its inclusion. Fluoride helps prevent cavities by strengthening enamel, and numerous studies have shown that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay in both children and adults.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters discussing Zohran Mamdani
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Trying To Give Mamdani A Scary Nickname That's Actually Kind Of Epic

Fox News personality Jesse Watters was widely mocked after he tried to give New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a scary nickname in the vein of Conan the Destroyer—only for it to backfire considerably.

Watters is the latest member of the GOP to lash out at Mamdani, a democratic socialist who handily defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary last week.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man sitting on a couch
man sitting on sofa
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

People Sound Off On What Caused Them To Fire Their Therapist

We thankfully live in a world where there's no longer a stigma surrounding therapy.

Some people simply need professional help to deal with ongoing problems or even to get through the day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andy Ogles; Zohran Mamdani
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images (left and right)

MAGA Rep Slammed After Calling For Mamdani To Be Stripped Of His Citizenship And Deported Over Rap Lyric

Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles was called out after he shared a letter he sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to denaturalize and deport New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani over a lyric in a rap song Mamdani released in 2017.

Mamdani ran a campaign centered around economic populism, arguing that the city, a global financial center, has grown unaffordable for everyday residents, citing soaring rents and grocery prices, and outlining policies aimed at reducing the cost of living.

Keep ReadingShow less