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Florida DeSantis Stop WOKE Act violates First Amendment, court rules
CNBC • • general
Key Points:
- A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that Florida's "Stop WOKE Act," which restricts how race and gender can be taught at public colleges, violates the First Amendment, blocking its enforcement in higher education.
- The court majority, including Judge Britt Grant, emphasized that professors' classroom speech is protected by the First Amendment and that public universities cannot ban unpopular ideas from discourse.
- Judge Barbara Lagoa dissented, arguing the state has authority to regulate what professors endorse in state-funded classrooms and that the First Amendment does not require all viewpoints to receive state endorsement.
- The ruling is a significant setback for Governor Ron DeSantis' culture war policies targeting critical race theory and "woke" ideology in education, though Florida may seek rehearing or Supreme Court review.
- The case was brought by professors, students, and civil rights groups like the ACLU and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, who hailed the decision as a victory for academic freedom and against political censorship.
