Last week’s ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals has cleared the way for a grassroots referendum on the state’s controversial Dream Act to appear on the ballot in November. The referendum gives Maryland voters — not politicians in Annapolis — the final say on whether the controversial law granting in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants remains on the books. This was the second major legal defeat for Casa de Maryland and its political supporters, who spent a year trying to prevent taxpayers from exercising this important constitutional right.

After unsuccessfully challenging the 108,923 signatures collected by MDPetitions.com that were officially certified by the State Board of Elections, CASA maintained that the Dream Act was an appropriations bill and therefore not subject to voter recall — even though it doesn’t contain any appropriations. Maryland’s highest court disagreed.