...and the angels rejoice.

Speaking as a former resident of Alabama who has not one but three religious bumper stickers on her minivan (Constitutional guarantee of free speech), I'm actually surprised a district judge protected South Carolina taxpayers from paying for a religious license plate (Constitutional separation of Church and State).

From our friends at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, who filed the lawsuit, natch:

A federal judge today ruled that the state of South Carolina may not issue a special “Christian” license plate featuring a cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe.”

“The ‘I Believe’ license plate is a clear example of government favoritism toward one religion,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “The court drove home an important point: South Carolina officials have no business meddling in religious matters.”

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie today issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the state to issue or manufacture the plates. She also ordered the state to inform people who requested the plates that they will not be available and to remove information about the plates from the state Web site.

Read more... [image from AU's website]

from Digby:

ChristianExodus.org is coordinating the move of thousands of Christians to South Carolina for the express purpose of re-establishing Godly, constitutional government. It is evident that the U.S. Constitution has been abandoned under our current federal system, and the efforts of Christian activism to restore our Godly republic have proven futile over the past three decades. The time has come for Christians to withdraw our consent from the current federal government and re-introduce the Christian principles once so predominant in America to a sovereign State like South Carolina....

Is Falwell leading the pack?