Confederate group sues DMV for stopping use of controversial flag

SANFORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- The North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans (NCSCV) filed a lawsuit against the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

The DMV announced in February that it would no longer be issuing or renewing license plates that have the Confederate battle flag on them.

That ruling includes the specialty plate available to NCSCV members. DMV said there were approximately 2,500 of those specialty plates in circulation at the beginning of 2021.

Now, NCSCV is pushing back. The group filed a lawsuit in Lee County saying the DMV did not have the right to force NCSCV to adapt a new emblem.

"Our members have rights and deserve equal treatment under North Carolina law. Our legally registered emblem represents our membership and our shared family history. Hating our group's logo is equivalent to hating our group's members," NCSCV Commander R. Kevin Stone said in a statement.

The DMV said last month that Confederate flags had "the potential to offend those who view them." It therefore concluded that the flag was inappropriate to display on specialty plates that are property of the state.

"The Confederate Battle Flag is a symbol of our heritage. Symbols can often have more than one meaning. To assume the Confederate Battle Flag is uniquely offensive is to validate only one viewpoint and thereby discriminate against others," Stone said.

NOTE: Video in this article is from a previous update when DMV stopped issuing Confederate flag plates.