By Oge Nwaozuzu·Published August 25, 2026
Vanity plate revoked after approval: the FTP&ATF ruling and a Texas recall
A vanity plate revoked after approval is more common than most drivers expect, and two 2026 cases show how it happens: a Virginia driver lost his plate after a single complaint and won on appeal, while a Texas influencer lost hers and had 20 business days to challenge it.
Last updated: 25 August 2026
Virginia issued FTP&ATF, then recalled it a year later
FindLaw reported on 5 August 2026 that Curtis Whateley registered the Virginia plate "FTP&ATF" and drove with it for more than a year. After a complaint reached the DMV, the agency recalled the plates, briefly reissued them, then revoked them again.
Virginia's written guidelines let the DMV refuse combinations that are profane, obscene or vulgar, sexually explicit, excretory-related, references to intimate body parts, or that condone violence or describe illegal activity. The same guidelines reserve the right to recall a plate the agency later decides breaks those rules.
The DMV told Whateley his message could reasonably be read as both vulgar and as encouraging violence. That is the recall clause doing the work: approval at the counter is not a permanent decision.
The Fourth Circuit called the seven characters private speech
Whateley sued the DMV commissioner without a lawyer. The district court dismissed the case by treating Virginia plates, personalised ones included, as government speech, leaning on the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which let Texas reject a Confederate flag specialty design.
The ACLU of Virginia joined the appeal. Judge Pamela Harris's opinion separated the functional part of the plate, the state name and the proof of registration, from the expressive part the DMV deliberately opens to drivers: the personalised character combination.
The court applied the three government-speech factors. On history, Virginia has invited drivers to pick their own combinations for decades, and hundreds of thousands of vehicles carry them. On public perception, common sense says observers credit a quirky plate to the driver, not the Commonwealth. That framing makes the seven characters the driver's speech on state property.
The wider effect is covered in vanity plate free speech rights, including what the ruling does and does not change for applicants outside the Fourth Circuit.
Texas pulled I love YAOI months after approving it
WKRN, carrying Nexstar sister station KXAN's reporting from 1 August 2026, covered the Texas DMV revoking the plate "I❤️YAOI" from Instagram car creator Amber, who posts as aSpicyCow. The letter said the pattern "IYAOI" may be viewed as indecent.
Texas defines indecent as direct references or connotations to a sexual act, sexual body parts, excreta, or sexual bodily fluids or functions. Yaoi is a Japanese romance genre centred on relationships between male characters. The department declined to explain the alleged indecency.
The Texas DMV told KXAN on 16 July 2026 that it can revoke plates that no longer comply, often after a mistaken initial approval or a shift in language. It rejected 1,951 plates in 2025, including "GAY4U" and "I❤️FURY".
Amber said in a 1 July video that the state was "stripping us of our rights" and that she makes "silly car videos". Drivers in Texas get 20 business days to appeal a revocation.
Three practical takeaways for anyone applying
Approval is provisional. Both agencies kept the power to recall, and both acted after a single complaint rather than a policy change.
Appeal windows are short. Texas allows 20 business days. Check the deadline on the notice the day it arrives, and read what to do after a rejection before you write anything.
Ambiguity cuts both ways. Reviewers read the combination the way a stranger would, which is the same test explained in how DMVs review plate applications. Test several backup combinations in the free 7 letter license plate generator, and check your character allowance on your state page or with the state rules comparison tool.