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I know a little bit about some of the special plates such as handicapped, or Medal of Honor, or volunteer fireman plates: The vehicle's owner has to provide documentation to justify the special plate, the vehicle still has to be registered and pass inspection like everyone else's, the driver has to qualify for and obtain a DL like everyone else. Some States may offer a discount for plates for, say, Pearl Harbor Veterans, Medal of Honor recipients, but the Medical Doctor plates don't get a discount.
Diplomatic plates are issued by the US Dept of State, and the plate gives some clue as to whose car it is (although this seems to be kept a secret by the State Dept). The plates that go to Ambassader's cars are different from those for consular officers or embassy staff, etc. There is also a code for the home country; a long time ago the country was spelled out but some embassies' cars attracted vandalism so now the plates have a secret code to show the country. (About 20 years ago the Washington Post got a list of the license tag codes and printed it. This was evidently the first and last time such a list appeared in public. The exact same list, dating back before the USSR broke up and at least ten countries even existed, is posted on several websites and someone in DC is still charging $1 for a reprint of that ancient Post article.) The State Dept does require that the cars be inspected and found roadworthy, and the drivers be licensed by their own countries at least.
I would think that automobiles are new, relatively speaking, that "customary law" wouldn't be applicable to the situation.
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