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Truck nuts, also called truck nutz, are plastic or metal accessories for pickup trucks (and other vehicles) which resemble a pair of dangling testicles. They are attached under the rear bumper or trailer hitch of the vehicle so they are visible from behind.
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In 2007, a proposal was made by Maryland politician LeRoy E. Myers Jr. in order to prohibit motorists from "displaying anything resembling or depicting 'anatomically correct' or 'less than completely and opaquely covered' human or animal genitals, human buttocks or female breasts". He referred to the testicles as "vulgar and immoral," and stated that his proposal was made at the request of a resident who was offended by the accessory. On January 15, 2008, Virginia Delegate Lionell Spruill proposed Bill HB 1452, which would prohibit truck owners from displaying or otherwise equipping their vehicles with devices resembling human genitalia. In April 2008, Florida lawmakers launched an additional attempt to ban truck nuts, making their display punishable by a $60 fine.
In 2011, a 65-year-old South Carolina woman was ticketed by the town's police chief for obscenity for adorning her pickup truck with truck nuts. The case, originating in Bonneau, S.C. (population approximately 480), was pending jury trial on her $445 traffic ticket. As of July 2012, her case had been continued three times and had no new trial date set. According to the Above the Law legal analysis blog, the ban was discussed in the ABA Journal and presented constitutional freedom of speech questions. The stated position of the Honolulu Police Department in 2013 from their city corporation counsel's office concerning obscene bumper stickers is, "It may be tasteless but it's protected as free speech." This is because it does not violate the First Amendment, nor is it specifically stated as against the law.