“Fastest settlement ever” were the words of Amy Miller after winning a lawsuit in less than 24 hours.

The subject: free speech on a license plate.

Specifically, a license plate that was to say “NE 420.” Not the license plate design that has recently been the subject of news stories.

In 2011, Frank Shoemaker wanted to travel around the state and discuss legalizing marijuana and the possibility of a ballot issue.

He was told that he couldn’t have a license plate saying “NE 420” twice by the DMV. The ACLU of Nebraska sued and in less than 24 hours Legal Director Amy Miller received a call from the Attorney General’s office saying they had overruled the DMV and ordered the Department to issue the license plate.

We are proud to count this amongst our many victories for free speech in Nebraska!


2016 is the 50th anniversary of the ACLU of Nebraska. We will feature several memories from our five decades of defending freedom in the Cornhusker state here. Do you have a favorite memory? Share it with us!