Maryland’s highest court has ruled that voters can decide whether to approve a law that allows in-state tuition for some illegal immigrants, affirming a lower court’s ruling.
The state Court of Appeals issued a brief order on Wednesday affirming the judgment of Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
Supporters of the law contended during oral arguments on Tuesday that the Dream Act passed by state lawmakers last year is a spending bill, which cannot be subject to a referendum.
Opponents of the law, who succeeded in getting enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot, argued that the law has nothing to do with spending.
Del. Neil C. Parrott, R-Washington, chairman of MDPetitions.com, which helped organize the petition effort, lauded the ruling.
“This is a great victory for all Maryland voters. Volunteers across the state worked extremely hard last year for this referendum effort. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents realize that using tax money to pay college tuition costs for illegal aliens doesn’t make sense,” Parrott said in a news release.
As for the outcome of the ballot question on Nov. 6, Parrot said, “the majority of Maryland voters understand on the face of it that Maryland is spending too much money as it is, and that it would not make sense to go against existing federal law to subsidize college tuition costs for illegal aliens who cannot even work in the country legally after they graduate.”
