"This lawsuit is a media and fundraising stunt," advises Jameson Taylor of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. "Federal and state courts have upheld the constitutionality of the government's use of the phrase ‘In God We Trust.’"
American Atheists, the Mississippi Humanist Association, and three non-religious state residents claim automobile owners are being forced to promote the religious statement or pay an additional fee for a specialty plate without it.
Taylor points out "In God We Trust" is on U.S. currency, and "In God We Trust" is also on Mississippi's state seal as well as its new state flag.
"We are reviewing the complaint,” Lynn Fitch, Mississippi’s attorney general, tells One News Now, “and we look forward to defending Mississippi's law against special interest professional litigators.”
Gov. Tate Reeves, in a statement posted to Twitter, said he will defend the license plate's motto, too.
