NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A Nashville judge has ruled that a state law that limits the amount of workers' compensation benefits undocumented workers can receive is unconstitutional.

The ruling stems from the case of a Guatemalan man whose left arm was severely injured when he fell and it was run over by a lawnmower.

In a ruling issued Thursday, Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins said the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government the authority to set immigration policy and not the state legislature.

As a result, Perkins said 39-year-old Carlos Martinez was entitled to nearly $45,000 in benefits.

It's not clear whether the state will appeal.

Brian Dunigan, an attorney who represented Martinez, said this was a test case to see if the law could be overturned.

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