An image of a Utah vanity license plate leaked on Twitter, prompting anger against the automobile owner. Residents in the state are shocked that the driver was able to get the provocative and probably racist vanity plate “DEPORTM,” which a high school teacher helped shed additional light on. Matt Pacenza, a high school English teacher from Utah, saw a snapshot of the controversial plate and tweeted it with the caption, “Hey (Utah Driver License Division), how does this plate I just saw not meet your guidelines?” Many individuals reacted to the photograph. Over a hundred people described the vanity plate as a “horrific” error. “The DMV should never have accepted that,” one individual commented. KSL, a CNN affiliate, contacted Utah’s Department of Motor Vehicles. The writer communicated with Tammy Kikuchi, the public information officer, who confirmed the plate’s authenticity and its issuance five years ago, in 2015. 

The US Constitution occasionally protects offensive speech. Unless the speech makes a threat or incites violence, it can pass such an examination, as this one did. However, when it comes to vanity license plates, authorities have the authority to impose certain broad guidelines to prevent objectionable slogans from upsetting the public. The DMV website prohibits any letter or number combinations for vanity plates that are “vulgar, derogatory, profane, or obscene and express contempt, ridicule, or superiority of a race, religion, deity, ethnic heritage, gender, or political affiliation.” Daniel Thatcher, a Republican state senator, saw the English teacher’s post and said it was clearly disrespectful. Thatcher had also contacted the DMV but received a slower response than the connected CNN outlet. However, Thatcher replied to his tweet the following day. He acknowledged that the state tax commission was aware of the plate and had initiated an investigation into the creator and approvers. Republicans accused the perpetrator of using “state resources to promote divisiveness.” Senator Luz Escamilla found the license plate to be a significant issue. She was unhappy that someone was driving around the state with the message on their car, so she requested a study of the matter for this past Wednesday at the Utah Legislature’s administrative rules review committee meeting, sources said. The Tax Commission and DMV prepared to attend the meeting to clearly oppose this plate use. The committee will discuss Utah’s definition of what is and is not, as well as who supported this vanity plate in 2015.