New Hampshire's highest court ruled on Wednesday that freedom of speech granted a man to use "COPSLIE" on his license plate, the Associated Press reported.
If the man believes that cops lie, then he is free to express it on his license plate, the decision stated.
David Montenegro, who wanted the vanity plate "COPSLIE" to protest what he calls government corruption, was conceded by the state Supreme Court in a unanimous decision.
State law prohibits vanity plates that "a reasonable person would find offensive to good taste." But the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union argued that the law is unconstitutionally vague and gives too much discretion to a person behind a Department of Motor Vehicles counter, the AP reported.
Claiming that the license phrase disparages police officers, New Hampshire had argued that state workers were right to deny the plate.
The justices said that state law does not define the phrase "offensive to good taste."
"The restriction grants DMV officials the power to deny a proposed vanity registration plate because it offends particular officials' subjective idea of what is 'good taste,'" the court wrote.
However, the law is unconstitutionally vague and violates free speech rights, the decision stated.
The case was sent back to Strafford County Superior Court for further proceedings.
Attorney Anthony Galdieri, who argued the case on behalf of Montenegro and the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, said he was not surprised by the ruling.
"This regulation was an impermissible way to regulate speech under the First Amendment," Galdieri said.
"So if a person at DMV agrees with the sentiment, he gets the plate?" Chief Justice Linda Dalianis asked.
"What is good taste?" added Justice Carol Ann Conboy, who wrote Wednesday's ruling. "That seems to be the nub of the argument."
Answering a question about whether a plate reading "COPS R GR8" would be approved, Senior Assistant Attorney General Richard Head acknowledged that two different people could come to different conclusions.
Head could not be reached for comment, the AP reported.
