VIRGINIA: Governor Orders Confederate Flag Removed From License Plates

Via Richmond's CBS affiliate:

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has ordered the Confederate flag removed from Virginia state license plates. The flag is displayed on a specialty plate designed for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The governor’s announcement came in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state of Texas was allowed to reject a license plate design that featured a Confederate battle flag and the removal of the flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds following last week’s fatal shootings at am African-American church in Charleston. McAuliffe said he has asked the Attorney General’s office to “take steps to reverse the prior Court ruling that requires the Confederate flag be placed on state license plates.” He also told the Secretary of Transportation to “develop a plan for replacing the currently-issued plates as quickly as possible.” “These steps will, I hope, make clear that this Commonwealth does not support the display of the Confederate battle flag or the message it sends to the rest of the world,” McAuliffe said.

RELATED: Last week the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the First Amendment does not prevent states from banning Confederate license plates. The appeal was brought by the Sons Of Confederate Veterans.