The story behind Wisconsin license plate #2222222, colloquially known as Phantom Plate, is a peculiar one.

This plate was registered by ALPGC’s founder Kyle Usher in 2022, and affixed to his first car, which had been custom painted and even received compliments from passersby whenever out in public.

A letter from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) stating that the plate was being cancelled was received in mid-April of 2023, long before the registration was set to expire in October of that year. A copy of that letter is available for viewing below.

It is unclear why WisDOT made this decision, as it is an objectively innocuous plate number and all other plates similar to it, from #1111111 to #9999999, are still on the road at the time of writing. Although WisDOT has a rigorous review process for personalized plates, going so far as to utilize Urban Dictionary to discover slang terms that would otherwise make it past the review panel, it is difficult to see how it applies to this plate. “2222222” does not appear anywhere on Urban Dictionary.

Believing the letter had been sent erroneously, and being familiar with the state’s online plate search tool, Kyle checked #2222222 and didn’t see anything amiss. As an experiment, he then submitted an application to transfer the plate to a different vehicle, a truck, which was accepted and processed by WisDOT. This affirmed his belief.

According to repair shop records, the plate’s new registration ran far past WisDOT’s originally planned cancellation date of May 15th, 2023; it lasted until at least January 2024, around which time Kyle received a new, randomized set of license plates in the mail. There was no correspondence accompanying these new plates, so it was initially unclear what vehicle they were intended for.

On a hunch, Kyle returned to the state’s plate search tool to check #2222222 again. This time, the site displayed the “red bar of death” which effictively means that a plate number is banned and no longer available for registration.

This could’ve easily caused legal problems for Kyle if he hadn’t caught on to it. A traffic stop with an invalid plate affixed to your vehicle can be a headache. Confused, he took the now-invalid plates off of his truck and affixed the standard plates he had received.

The story doesn’t end there, however. In early 2025, Kyle learned of a lawsuit that had been filed against WisDOT officials, Nichols v. Thompson, by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL).

The following is an excerpt of the brief published on WILL’s website:

Back in 2001, Nichols acquired a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 and obtained the personalized plate “RD RRAGE”. He maintained that plate until he returned the car due to a lemon law buyback in 2003.

Years passed, and Nichols was thrilled when he was able to acquire another Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6. He once again applied to get the personalized plate, “RD RRAGE” for the vehicle. However, this time the request was denied and Nichols subsequently found that the plate was listed as “objectionable” and therefore unlawful by state bureaucrats. State law explicitly forbids Wisconsinites from appealing any bureaucrats’ determination regarding their plates.

Intrigued, Kyle made contact with one of the attorneys assigned to the case, inquiring about the status of the case and how he can stay updated on its progress. He also told them about Phantom Plate and its fate as a result of the state’s unconstitutional law. A response was received, indicating that the case would be concluded later in the year.

A request was made to be added to WILL’s mailing list, however, this request was not fulfilled, and about a week later, the case briefing had mysteriously disappeared from WILL’s website. It is unclear if this means the case was dropped or simply not being represented or reported on by WILL any longer, but it does raise concerns. The original briefing can be viewed on the Wayback Machine.

Update 04/01/2025: Case updates for Nichols v. Thompson can be viewed on PacerMonitor.

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