News and Events => Political and Legal News => Topic started by: Lori Dee on July 07, 2026, 05:34:55 PM Return to Full Version
Title: US appeals court strikes down key part of Florida law
Post by: Lori Dee on July 07, 2026, 05:34:55 PM
Post by: Lori Dee on July 07, 2026, 05:34:55 PM
US appeals court strikes down key part of Florida law restricting campus race and gender discussions
Ron DeSantis's Stop Woke Act suffers another legal setback, with the state accused of 'puppeteering'
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/07/stop-woke-act-appeal-florida-desantis
The Guardian - Richard Luscombe
Tue 7 Jul 2026 15.25 EDT
A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Ron DeSantis's so-called Stop Woke Act on Tuesday, delivering another rebuff to the Republican Florida governor's efforts to stifle free speech in higher education.
In a scathing order, judges of the 11th circuit court of appeal said by a 2-1 majority that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution's first amendment.
It accused the state of "puppeteering": making the educators their mouthpieces by controlling what they can say or teach.
"Because the government pays the professors' salaries, Florida says, their speech is the state's speech," Britt Grant, a Donald Trump-appointed judge who wrote the majority opinion, said. "Emphatically no.
"Florida's salary-for-speech rule is a breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the state's own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry – classrooms where students are trusted to puzzle through ideas that are good and bad, easy and hard, ideally getting ever closer to the truth."
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There should be a law against writing illegal laws. Or at least some kind of penalty.
Ron DeSantis's Stop Woke Act suffers another legal setback, with the state accused of 'puppeteering'
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/07/stop-woke-act-appeal-florida-desantis
The Guardian - Richard Luscombe
Tue 7 Jul 2026 15.25 EDT
A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Ron DeSantis's so-called Stop Woke Act on Tuesday, delivering another rebuff to the Republican Florida governor's efforts to stifle free speech in higher education.
In a scathing order, judges of the 11th circuit court of appeal said by a 2-1 majority that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution's first amendment.
It accused the state of "puppeteering": making the educators their mouthpieces by controlling what they can say or teach.
"Because the government pays the professors' salaries, Florida says, their speech is the state's speech," Britt Grant, a Donald Trump-appointed judge who wrote the majority opinion, said. "Emphatically no.
"Florida's salary-for-speech rule is a breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the state's own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry – classrooms where students are trusted to puzzle through ideas that are good and bad, easy and hard, ideally getting ever closer to the truth."
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There should be a law against writing illegal laws. Or at least some kind of penalty.
Title: Re: US appeals court strikes down key part of Florida law
Post by: Sarah B on July 07, 2026, 07:01:35 PM
Post by: Sarah B on July 07, 2026, 07:01:35 PM
Hi Lori
There is no link to the article. Do you want me to fix it?
Best Wishes Always
Sarah B
Global Moderator
@Lori Dee
There is no link to the article. Do you want me to fix it?
Best Wishes Always
Sarah B
Global Moderator
@Lori Dee
Title: Re: US appeals court strikes down key part of Florida law
Post by: Lori Dee on July 07, 2026, 07:26:45 PM
Post by: Lori Dee on July 07, 2026, 07:26:45 PM
Quote from: Sarah B on July 07, 2026, 07:01:35 PMHi Lori
There is no link to the article. Do you want me to fix it?
Best Wishes Always
Sarah B
Global Moderator
@Lori Dee
Got it. Good catch. Thank you!
Title: Re: US appeals court strikes down key part of Florida law
Post by: Devlyn on July 08, 2026, 05:26:34 AM
Post by: Devlyn on July 08, 2026, 05:26:34 AM
QuoteThere should be a law against writing illegal laws. Or at least some kind of penalty.
"Diplomatic immunity!"
.
.
.
Kapow!
"It's just been revoked." 🤣