Nevada man sues for Sarah Palin license plate

The state of Nevada doesn’t seem to find much vulgar or obscene. One third of the state’s tax revenue comes from gambling, prostitution is allowed in almost every city and bars and liquor stores are allowed to serve up spirits 24 hours a day.

When it comes to Sarah Palin, however, that’s where the state really gets repulsed.James Linlor of Douglas County, NV is suing the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles because he says they won’t let him have a pro-Palin license plate to show his support for the former GOP vice presidential candidate.Linlor claims he tried to register the “GOPALIN” vanity plate in both 2009 and 2010 but was denied each time. On July 15 of this year, Linlor filed a complaint with the US District Couty in Nevada.Linlor says that when he tried to register a “GO OBAMA” plate, however, his request was approved.“The actions of the DMV in selectively granting some ‘political’ license plate requests while denying others are unconstitutional on grounds of content and viewpoint discrimination, and should be enjoined as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution,” reads the official complaint.The Nevada DMV doesn’t know what to make of Linlor’s case at this point, though, as state officials claim they approved his request back in December 2010.The Nevada Administrative Code says the state is free to reject vanity plate requests that they deem "vulgar or obscene or expressing superiority of political affiliation,” or any that “express contempt, ridicule or superiority of … political affiliation.”Linlor’s frustration prompted him to do a little bit more research and led him to find out that other left-leaning plates approved by Nevada include “GOGREEN,” “DMOCRAT,” “AL GORE,” “KERRY,” “EDWARDS,” “DEAN” and “HILLARY.” His “PALIN,” “PALIN12” and “PALIN16” plates were all denied, as were other requests for “REPBLCN” and “BUSH,” reads his complaint.Bruce Breslow, director of the Nevada DMV, tells The Associate Press that he would have approved the Palin plate it if the request landed on his desk, though. Someone, he adds, did approve it however, back on December 30 of last year. As a result, it looks like the lawsuit will be refudiated by the state court system.Brian Sandoval, a Republican from Reno, currently holds the position of Nevada state governor. Right wing politicians have run the state executive branch since 1999, though the Nevada electoral vote went to Democrat Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential race.Linlor is seeking attorney fees from the Nevada DMV.