Mississippi will begin issuing license plates featuring the phrase, “In God We Trust,” starting this month, replacing a design which used to feature blues singer B.B. King.
The redesigned plates also feature the state’s seal emblazoned with the words: “The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi.”
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed the legislation allowing the design on state license plates in May 2018:
Bryant previously signed a bill in 2014 called the “Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which initially added the words, “In God We Trust” to the state’s seal and ensured the state did not pass laws that would “interfere” with the practice of one’s religion.
Mississippi redesigns its license plates every five years, partially to catch people who have been delinquent in paying their yearly renewal fees.
Various interest groups had mixed thoughts on the redesigned plates.
The American Humanist Association blasted the plates, claiming the phrase, “In God We Trust,” violates the Constitution.
“Unlike the use of ‘In God We Trust’ on money, which is only visible if one makes an affirmative effort to read it, the larger public display of ‘In God We Trust’ on motor vehicles, alongside bumper stickers and other signage, more clearly makes a statement endorsing the theistic assumptions underlying the phrase,” David Niose of American Humanist Association said in a statement. “The problem, obviously, is that many individuals do not believe in a God, let alone trust in him, her, or it.”
But Mississippi Center for Public Policy President Jon Pritchett argued in a blog post that the plates are perfectly in line with the Constitution.
“We have been misinformed and misled by generations of public policy, education, and media leaders on the so-called ‘separation of church and state,’” Pritchett wrote.
“The concept has been so pervasive that we generally accept the idea that it is inappropriate to bring any faith-based ideas to the public square. The idea that we should separate religion — of any faith or denomination — from politics is not only false, it is virtually impossible,” Pritchett added.
Mississippi is one of the few states where the default license plate design contains the phrase, “In God We Trust,” but 20 other states allow people to obtain license plates with the phrase for an additional fee.
The following states allow residents to obtain vanity plates with the national motto: Wisconsin, West Virginia, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Arizona, and Alaska.