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Opponents of New Haven's ID card program have appealed a ruling by the state Freedom of Information Commission that allows the city to keep cardholders information private. The plaintiffs want to stop similar programs in other cities

In July, the Freedom of Information Commission sided with the city of New Haven and its position to keep private the names, addresses, and photos of Elm City Municipal ID cardholders. Both legal and illegal residents can apply for the ID. New Haven believed the information was exempt from FOI laws citing public safety risks if disclosed.

Dustin Gold of North Branford and Chris Powell of Manchester originally petitioned the city to release the information and last week, they filed an appeal before the State Superior Court. Gold, who is also President of an anti-illegal immigration group called Community Watchdog Project, says the Commission misinterpreted what is exempt from state FOI laws. He says his goal is to see the ID program fail.

"Illegal immigrants would not want their names on a public list. But on a larger scale, on a national level, there are other cities such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco that are waiting to see the success of New Haven's program and to see what happens in regards to litigation surrounding it and we believe the longer we can hold it up in court, the longer we're holding up other cities."

San Francisco was slated to roll out a similar ID program next month but Mayor Gavin Newsom has asked city officials to review the plan to make sure it complies with federal and state laws before it begins.

This comes after Immigration Law Reform Institute, a national law organization against illegal immigration, sued San Francisco over its plans. The Institute is also representing Gold in his appeal.

Oral arguments in the Connecticut appeal aren't expected until next Spring.