A California woman named Isis Wharton has been notified by the state Department of Motor Vehicles that she must give up her personalized license plate, “IAMISIS,” because the agency says it could be interpreted as an expression of support for the ISIS terror group.
Wharton, who says she was named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, said she bought the personalized plate in 2022, paying the required fee, and has renewed it each year without issue until now.
She told FOX19 that the DMV’s recent letter came as a surprise and has left her feeling hurt.
“I’m proud of my name. I’m proud that it’s on my car. I feel like, driving around, it looks cool,” Wharton said.
A spokesperson for the California DMV told The Independent in a statement Tuesday, “The DMV is required by law to review all requests for personalized license plates and ensure the configurations being approved are permissible under the California Vehicle Code and the California Code of Regulations. The DMV understands that language and symbols can hold different meanings across cultures and communities. What may be a term of endearment in one context can be perceived differently in another.”
The agency spokesperson explained that most personalized license plate requests are approved, provided customers agree to the terms and conditions before ordering. However, a request may be denied if the configuration includes sexual, scatological, profane, or obscene content.
It can also be denied if it conveys messages about race, religion, gender identity, or other protected characteristics. This includes references to violence, crime, or gangs, or falsely implies government or law enforcement affiliation.
The uses of slang, foreign words, phonetic spellings, or mirror images also fall into any of these prohibited categories.
“The letter sent to Isis Wharton explained why ‘IAMISIS’ can be construed as ‘I am Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,’” the DMV spokesperson told The Independent.
“Customers with personalized plate configurations deemed non-compliant by the DMV are entitled to request a hearing before the Office of Administrative Hearings. The letter Ms. Wharton received provides information on how to request a hearing,” they concluded.
If Wharton does not attend a hearing, the personalized plate will be canceled and replaced with standard-issue plates.
Leslie Jacobs, a professor at McGeorge School of Law, told FOX19 that personalized license plates are a form of expression protected under the First Amendment.
She suggested that the DMV may not be able to lawfully force Wharton to relinquish the plate if it is indeed her expression.
“The free speech clause protects people saying their own messages on personalized license plates. So, most likely, the DMV is not going to be able to prevent her from saying that,” Jacobs said.
Wharton said she has her mother’s support in this matter, too.
“My mom was so upset. She loves my name, and she’s always been a big advocate for anyone that’s been offended by my name. So, she was like, ‘Don’t just change it,’” she said.
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