Court issues tuition ruling

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MIAMI, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Charging legal residents of Florida out-of-state tuition because their parents aren't legal residents is unconstitutional, a federal judge in Miami has ruled.

U. S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said the practice violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution, which says people in similar circumstances must be treated alike, The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union reported Wednesday.

Moore's ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of a group of students facing out-of-state tuition because their parents were undocumented.

"Today is a great day for these young people across the state of Florida who simply wanted the opportunity to get an education and, with that, a chance for the American Dream," said Jerri Katzerman, the center's legal director.

State Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, said a U.S. citizen "should be treated like a U.S. citizen regardless of who their parents are."