In nearly every county in Maryland, being a non-US citizen is a bar to holding a liquor license. A judge in Anne Arundel County, however, recently ruled that such laws are discriminatory and ordered the county liquor board to reconsider a liquor license application submitted by a non-citizen permanent resident. Upon such reconsideration the board must either issue the license or come up with a reason other than citizenship status to deny it.
While this case is not binding on the other jurisdictions that prohibit non-citizens from holding licenses, it should provide encouragement for permanent residents who own restaurants to push this issue in those other counties.