McDonough Wants Judge To Withdraw from Illegal Immigrant Tuition Case


Judge Ronald Silkworth presided over similar 2010 case that was overturned.


By Bryan P. Sears

4:48pm

2 Comments

UPDATED(5:38 p.m.)—Del. Pat McDonough Thursday called on an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge to recuse himself from a hearing involving an effort to place a law on the 2012 ballot granting in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants.

McDonough, a Middle River Republican, issued a statement Thursday calling for Judge Ronald Silkworth to withdraw from the case because of his 2010 decision on a slots referendum that was ultimately overturned by the state Court of Appeals.

Casa de Maryland filed suit in Anne Arundel County Aug. 1 seeking to stop the issue from being placed on the 2012 ballot. The group claims the referendum is not permitted under state law because it's an appropriations issue rather than one of public policy.

The language is similar to a lawsuit filed in 2010 by Cordish Cos. seeking to prevent an anti-slots group from placing the location of a slots emporium at Arundel Mills on the ballot that year.

Silkworth ruled in favor of the developer. The Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, later overturned that ruling.

“It would appear obvious that this judge needs to recuse himself from this case and the people are expecting the Attorney General to move swiftly toward that resultâ€