NC, VA Move To Eliminate Confederate Flags From License Plates

Wayne Scarberry/Getty Image
Wayne Scarberry/Getty Image

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory will call on the General Assembly to end the issuance of license places emblazoned with the Confederate flag.

“Governor McCrory will be requesting that the General Assembly change the North Carolina statute in order to discontinue the issuance of the Confederate battle flag emblem on state-issued license plates.” McCrory Communications Director Josh Ellis said in a statement to WTVD Tuesday.

“The time is right to change this policy due to the recent Supreme Court ruling and the tragedy in Charleston,” Ellis added in reference last week’s race-based shooting in a Charleston church that claimed the lives of nine people

McCrory’s decision to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from license plates in North Carolina comes a day after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds.

Earlier Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that following last week’s Supreme Court ruling declaring states can limit specialty license plate designs, he is calling for an end to allowing the “unnecessarily divisive and hurtful” symbol from appearing on Virginia license plates.

The Democratic governor said that he had requested the Attorney General’s office move to reverse the earlier court ruling allowing for the Confederate flag on plates and asked that the Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne develop a strategy to replace the already issued Confederate flag tags.

“These steps will, I hope, make clear that this Commonwealth does not support the display of the Confederate battle flag or the message it sends to the rest of the world,” he said.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.