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Judge Brings Confederate Tags Closer To Reality

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - The Sons of Confederate Veterans have won a free speech case against the state of Florida over the creation of a specialty license plate.

Judge John Antoon said Thursday that Florida's specialty license plate law limited the free speech of the Confederate group. The law had allowed the state Legislature to decide whether a group can get a specialty license plate.

Antoon said the law would give the Florida Legislature the ability to decline an application for a specialty plate based on a group's viewpoint or political ideology.

The Sons of Confederate Veteran's application was approved by the Florida DMV. A bill for a Confederate heritage license plate was introduced in the Legislature in 2008, but no action was ever taken on the proposal.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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