The organizers behind Baltimore’s “baby bonus” ballot question were hoping not to repeat history. A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge just told them they have to.

In a ruling issued Monday, Associate Judge Paul J. Cucuzzella dismissed a request from the Maryland Child Alliance seeking declaratory judgment for their reworked ballot question, which would ask voters in 2026 whether they want to establish a dedicated fund to help families with newborns.

Last year, the Maryland Child Alliance, led by teachers, tried to ask voters to establish one-time payments of at least $1,000 to new parents in the city upon the birth or adoption of a child. But Maryland’s Supreme Court ruled the question unconstitutional, and it never made it onto the ballot.

The baby bonus idea has since gotten a presidential endorsement: The Donald Trump administration is reportedly considering giving American mothers $5,000 when they have a new baby to encourage higher birth rates. The Baltimore “baby bonus,” on the other hand, sought to help kids who were born into poverty.

A lawyer for the Maryland Child Alliance argued in court last week that the city’s successful lawsuit to keep the baby bonus off the ballot, in addition to its lack of response to the group’s new proposal, necessitates a judge’s ruling on the constitutionality of the new question.

But Cucuzzella sided with Mayor Brandon Scott and the City Council, who asked to have the request dismissed.

“Here, there is no controversy,” the ruling reads. “The Complaint includes no allegation that the City has in any way objected to or staked a position in opposition to the inclusion of the Baby Fund charter Amendment on the 2026 General Election ballot.”

A spokesman for Scott said the ruling “affirms what the city knew when we filed last year: this amendment was not the correct way to address this critical issue.”

“We still sympathize with the underlying goals of the amendment and recognize the importance of supporting young families in need,” Scott’s office said. “We hope that the Baltimore Baby Bonus campaign will join our administration in calling for universal basic income at the federal level.”

To move forward, the Maryland Child Alliance will need to collect 10,000 signatures to pose a ballot question, work the group was hoping to avoid if the city was going to sue — and possibly win — again.

The group has secured 2,000 signatures over the last weekend alone, said President Nate Golden. The signature-collecting effort is all volunteer-based, he added, and they’re frustrated.

“If we do this again, at this point, it’ll be like four years of our lives,” Golden said. “We asked the mayor to deal with this question in advance.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.