The ACLU has filed suit on behalf of Indiana resident Mark Studler against the Indiana Department of Motor Vehicles over specialty plates being offered to Indiana residents without the usual specialty plate fee.

Considering the plate in question is religiously themed and reads "In God We Trust," this brings up a whole host of issues people from both sides of the debate are anxious to rally behind.

Indiana House Rep. Woody Burton, a sponsor of the legislation that both created this plate and waived the additional fee for the consumer, claims that no fee is charged because the funds generated from such a sale would not go to support any particular group as the other specialty fees do.

The plaintiff’s complaint is two-fold. One: Studler was still expected to cough up the extra $25 for his preference of environmental plate and Two: the waiving of this fee, in the words of ACLU attorney Ken Falk, amounts to promotion of the religious-themed plate by the state.

BMV Commissioner Ron Stiver stated that the BMV isn’t promoting the “In God We Trust” plate or any other plate over the other 75 designs.

Unfortunately, that’s not entirely true as two Hoosiers very near and dear to my heart (my mom and dad) were told upon plate renewal that the “In God We Trust” plate was the Indiana plate this year and are now stuck with the religious proclamation affixed upon both their vehicles. Not that they have anything against the big G-man or anything, my parents just aren’t always ones for such public displays of affection