To encourage the growth of its population, a state establish…
To encourage the growth of its population, a state established a program that awards $1,000 to the parents of each child born within the state, provided that at the time of the child’s birth the mother and father are U.S. citizens.A husband and wife are aliens who are permanent residents of the United States and have resided in the state for three years. When their first child was born two months ago, the husband and wife applied for and were denied the $1,000 award by state officials on the sole ground that they are not U.S. citizens. The husband and wife filed suit in federal court, contending that their exclusion from the award program is unconstitutional. No federal statute addresses this question.In this case, the court should hold that the exclusion of aliens from the state award program is: