License Plate Controversy: 2Xtian4aPl8?

Christian-themed license plates are inching closer to becoming legal in South Carolina, setting up a new constitutional showdown over freedom of expression and the wall between church and state. The proposed plate would carry the words "I believe" in front of an image of the cross.

The popularity of personalized and thematic plates is exploding nationwide, as Stefan Lonce outlines in his upcoming book LCNS2ROM—License to Roam: Vanity License Plates and the GR8 Stories They Tell.

But it's also proving to be a legal nightmare, as political forces battle over what is acceptable. A DMV administrator in South Dakota recently testified before the state legislature on behalf of banning personalized plates altogether, saying it makes the state vulnerable to First Amendment lawsuits. After all, what is perfectly reasonable to one person may be offensive to another.

South Dakota lawmakers dismissed her concerns. But in South Carolina, a number of questions will have to be answered to move these controversial plates forward. And if the law passes, it's likely the courts will have the final say.

—Bret Schulte