Appeals court upholds man's right to 'MZU SUX' license plate

ST. CHARLES, Mo., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A Missouri appeals court ruled a man is free to express his opinion about the University of Missouri with his "MZU SUX" license plate.

Toby Gettler of St. Charles had been ordered to return the plate to the Missouri Department of Revenue, which said the plate violated rules against offensive messages. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ruled Tuesday the plate was not obscene, Missouri Lawyers Weekly reported Wednesday.

The appeals court ruling upheld an earlier ruling from the state's Administrative Hearing Commission.

Gettler, who used to live in Lawrence, Kan., home of Missouri rival University of Kansas, said the personalized plate application required him to list five choices, and he put "MZU SUX" at the bottom as a joke.

"For the last one, just to be funny, I put 'MZU SUX,'" he said. "It turns out, that's actually the license plate I got."