New Jersey resident David Silverman, president of the group
American Atheists, was willing to pay for a personalized license
plate that reflects his views on religion. In the state of New
Jersey, it costs $50 to acquire a customized license plate. But
the MVC rejected his application, claiming that the word
“atheist” is offensive, Silverman tweeted after the incident.
Earlier this year, the New Jersey Star-Ledger published the list
of words that the MVC refuses to print on license plates. But
the list, which has a total of 1,085 words and is dated Nov. 26,
2012, does not include the word atheist.  MVC spokesman Mike
Horan told the paper that personalized license plate
applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, especially
since new slang words are continuously arising.