A federal judge has ruled that the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not violate a court order regarding the state’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which prohibits universities from promoting critical lessons in racial theory and targets other “awakened” concepts. ” that are prevalent on campuses of higher education.
“While this court would not hesitate to enforce its preliminary injunction, this court finds that there has been no violation of the injunction at this time,” U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker wrote Thursday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. .
The plaintiffs had challenged the law, known as the “Stop Wrongs To Our Kids and Employees Act” or “Stop WOKE Act,” arguing that the DeSantis administration had failed to comply with a preliminary injunction preventing the application of some parts of the law. .
The plaintiffs took issue with a memo sent by the head of the Florida Office of Policy and Budget, Chris Spencer, asking the universities to “provide a complete list of all personnel, programs and related campus activities.” with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Critical Race”. theory.”
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Conservatives took to Twitter Tuesday to ramp up the football as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was projected to defeat Charlie Crist to secure another term as Florida’s chief executive.
(James Gilbert/Getty Images)
DeSants introduced the bill in December 2021 and signed it into law last April. The law prevents schools and corporations from “subjecting any student or employee to training or instruction that advocates, promotes, promotes, inculcates, or compels such person to believe that specific items constitute discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin.” “.
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Professors and some students at public universities in the state have challenged the law in two lawsuits, arguing that it violates First Amendment rights and has caused confusion among professors at public universities and colleges, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Walker called the law “positively dystopian” in November and issued a temporary injunction.
“Our teachers are critical to a healthy democracy, and the decision by the state of Florida to choose which views deserve to be illustrated and which should remain in the shadows has implications for all of us,” Walker wrote in November. “If our ‘priests of democracy’ are not allowed to shed light on challenging ideas, then democracy will die in the dark.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addresses the crowd before publicly signing the “Stop WOKE” act during a press conference on April 22, 2022.
(Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
American Civil Liberties Union attorney Leah Watson argued in a statement to Law360 that the December 28 memo sent to public colleges and universities is a “thinly veiled attempt” to circumvent the preliminary injunction.
“We remain concerned that this directive from the Executive Office of the Governor is a thinly veiled attempt to circumvent the restrictions of the preliminary injunction by defunding valuable instruction on systemic racism and sexism,” Watson said.
“We will continue to monitor the enforcement of the unconstitutional provisions of the Stop WOKE Act and will seek to enforce the preliminary injunction.”
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The state filed a response Thursday, arguing that the memo delivered to state colleges and universities on December 28 was part of the governor’s annual budget process, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Loudoun County, Virginia residents helped turn critical race theory into a national conversation in 2021.
(REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
“Plaintiffs cite no authority to support the notion that providing the information in question ‘enforces’ any law or regulation in violation of the preliminary injunction,” the defendants said, according to Law360.
“The Florida Constitution expressly authorizes the governor to request information of this kind, and universities have already made much of the information in question freely available, either on their websites or in their annual budget proposals.”
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DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
