Court turns away attempt to force ‘Choose Life’ plates on Illinois

WASHINGTON (ABP) — On the opening day of their 2009-2010 term Oct. 5, the justices of the Supreme Court turned away an anti-abortion group’s attempt to force Illinois to offer special license plates that support the pro-life cause.

The court declined, without comment, to hear arguments in Choose Life Illinois v. White. Choose Life Illinois, Inc., had appealed a decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the state’s right to refuse to wade into the abortion controversy in its specialty license-plate offerings.

State officials had refused to offer the plates despite being presented a petition by supporters of the effort — and even though other appeals courts have upheld similar programs elsewhere in the country. So far, according to Choose Life, 24 other states have approved such specialty license plates. Fees for the plates would have gone to support adoption services.

Attorneys for Choose Life sued the state, arguing that Illinois motorists had a First Amendment right to sport the message tags. The high court, however, has repeatedly refused to rule on other similar cases.

The Supreme Court also declined Oct. 5 to hear a case involving the increasingly heated dispute over whether congregations are allowed to keep their buildings when they leave a parent denomination that has ultimate control over the property. The justices also did not comment in their decision to turn away an appeal in Rector of St. James Parish, et al., v. Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese.

Such disputes have been cropping up in state courts in recent years as conservative parishes have begun disassociating themselves from the Episcopal Church USA in a dispute over homosexuality and other doctrinal matters.

–Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.