CAMDEN -- A federal judge has rejected New Jersey's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by an avowed atheist who claims she was turned down when she requested the vanity license plate "8THEIST."

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Freda Wolfson late Tuesday means that Shannon Morgan of Leesburg can go ahead with a lawsuit challenging the state Motor Vehicle Commission's ability to reject plates that are "offensive to good taste and decency."

In November 2013, Morgan went on the commission's website and typed in "8THEIST" as her choice. The website informed her that the "requested plate is considered objectionable," according to Wolfson's ruling.

When Morgan typed in the word "BAPTIST" she was permitted to continue with her application, according to the ruling.

Raymond Martinez, the chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, is being sued by an atheist who claims the state rejected her "8THEIST" vanity plate. He is shown here at a 2010 press conference.

"We're thrilled with the decision," said Jon Green, Morgan's attorney. "We're saying its censorship of viewpoint and Judge Wolfson basically said you can't do that."

After Morgan filed her lawsuit in April 2014 alleging that her free speech rights were violated, the commission notified Morgan that it would issue the "8THEIST" plate if she submitted the application by mail.

Attorneys for Raymond Martinez, the chief administrator of the commission, argued that a "computer error" was responsible for the rejection and that since the commission agreed to let Morgan have the plate anyway, she no longer had grounds to sue.

But Morgan argued that if she or her daughter were to apply for personalized license plates in the future they will be subject to the same rules. And, her lawyers noted, David Silverman, the president of American atheists and a New Jersey resident, was also rejected when he applied for a plate that would read "ATHE1ST."

The commission has not "amended or repealed its regulation that grants Commission officials the discretion to prohibit 'offensive license plate expressions," Morgan's lawyers wrote.

Her lawyers say the commission's rule is unconstitutional because it gives government officials "unbridled discretion to prohibit speech based on the speaker's viewpoint," the ruling notes.

"Plaintiff's intention to continue to participate in the personalized license plate program places her within the ambit of the enforcement of the Rule and, thus, qualifies as an alleged future injury, particularly in light of the MVC's initial denial of plaintiff's request, its initial denial of fellow atheist Silverman's request, and its continued classification of the "8THEIST" license plate as offensive on its website," Wolfson ruled.

A spokeswoman for the commission could not immediately be reached for comment.

Wolfson likened Morgan's challenge to a Michigan man's application for a license plate that read "INF1DL." The plate was initially rejected but was approved following a legal challenge.

Thomas Zambito may be reached at tzambito@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomZambito. Find NJ.com on Facebook.