Florida's 'Stop WOKE' Act Blocked by Appeals Court, Supreme Court Fight Looms
A Trump-appointed judge ruled against DeSantis' campus speech law, keeping it blocked and setting up a potential Supreme Court showdown.
A federal appeals court has upheld a block on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature "Stop WOKE Act," dealing a significant legal setback to the Republican governor's efforts to restrict how race and identity topics are taught and discussed on college campuses across the state. The ruling was issued by a Trump-appointed judge, making the decision particularly notable given the ideological alignment one might have expected.
The law, formally known as the Individual Freedom Act, was championed by DeSantis as a measure to protect employees and students from what he characterized as ideologically coercive training and instruction. Critics, including civil liberties advocates and university faculty groups, argued the legislation amounted to government-mandated censorship that violated First Amendment free speech protections — a position the appeals court appears to have credited in sustaining the injunction.
Read more NATO Allies to Huddle With Gulf Arabs Over Hormuz Strait Tensions →
The ruling keeps the college speech provisions of the law in a legal deep freeze, meaning Florida public universities remain unable to enforce the restrictions while litigation continues. The decision effectively narrows DeSantis' ability to reshape campus discourse through legislation, at least for now, and raises serious questions about whether similar laws in other Republican-led states could survive judicial scrutiny.
With the appeals court siding against the state, the path forward for DeSantis and Florida officials likely runs through the U.S. Supreme Court. A high court appeal would place the justices in the position of deciding a consequential question about the boundaries of government authority to regulate speech in public educational institutions — a fight that could have national implications for academic freedom and workplace diversity training laws well beyond Florida's borders.
Continue reading at US Top News and Analysis
