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Latest on church shooting: Move to ban flag on license plate

In this June 21, 2015, photo, the word "racism" is painted next to a statue memorializing the Confederacy as it's taped off and the base covered by a tarp after police said someone spray-painted the message "Black Lives Matter" in Charleston, S.C. Whether South Carolina should continue to fly the Confederate flag on its statehouse grounds is the latest in a series of issues to arise this summer challenging the GOP’s effort to build the young and diverse coalition of voters it likely needs to win the White House. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
In this June 21, 2015, photo, the word "racism" is painted next to a statue memorializing the Confederacy as it's taped off and the base covered by a tarp after police said someone spray-painted the message "Black Lives Matter" in Charleston, S.C. Whether South Carolina should continue to fly the Confederate flag on its statehouse grounds is the latest in a series of issues to arise this summer challenging the GOP’s effort to build the young and diverse coalition of voters it likely needs to win the White House. (AP Photo/David Goldman) In this June 21, 2015, photo, the word "racism" is painted next to a statue memorializing the Confederacy as it's taped off and the base covered by a tarp after police said someone spray-painted the message "Black Lives Matter" in Charleston, S.C. Whether South Carolina should continue to fly the Confederate flag on its statehouse grounds is the latest in a series of issues to arise this summer challenging the GOP’s effort to build the young and diverse coalition of voters it likely needs to win the White House. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

By Associated Press 1 min read

10:30 a.m.

Virginia’s governor is moving to have the Confederate flag banished from state license plates.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the decision Tuesday, citing the killings at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that said states can restrict license plate designs.

Virginia vanity plates include one that pays homage to the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

McAuliffe said he’s asked Attorney General Mark Herring to take steps to reverse a 2002 federal court decision that said Virginia could not block the Confederate Veterans from displaying its logo – which includes the Confederate flag – on state license plates.

At the same time, McAuliffe has asked his secretary of transportation to replace the plates depicting the flag.

McAuliffe called the Confederate flag “hurtful” to too many people.