BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES

Maine’s Lax Rules on Profane License Plates Are F**king Over, and So Are All Things Fun

Maine gained notoriety for its outlandish license plates after the state dropped its review process in 2015. Starting Monday, the state is recalling more than 100,000 plates.

A new law in Maine prohibiting the use of profanity on vanity plates will go into effect on Monday, reversing a previously lenient regulation that officials said led to a “wild, wild, wild west” reputation. According to the AP, lawmakers are attempting to find a happy medium between First Amendment protections and regulating obscene license plates. Though the law takes effect this coming week, Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said, “Rule-making will delay the process of active removal of plates from the road but will help us balance the free speech rights of citizens and the public interest of removing inappropriate license plates,” she said. Maine gained notoriety for its outlandish vanity plates after dropping its review process in 2015, and since then the state has issued more than 100,000 profane plates. Now, requests for any license plates that may induce pearl-clutching will be on hold, while recalls of previously issued plates will likely begin this winter.