Trump-Appointed Judges Shut Down Florida's 'Stop Woke Act'

Source: Newsweek

Athree-judge appeals court panel, including two Donald Trump appointees, unanimously voted on Monday to block the implementation of Florida's "Stop WOKE Act."

Officially known as the "Individual Freedom Act," but more commonly referred to as the "Stop WOKE (Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees) Act," the bill was passed by the Florida state legislature and signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. It is designed to block certain teachings about race and diversity in schools and workplaces, particularly any notions that individuals might be privileged or face oppression due to race, sex, or national origin, which DeSantis has decried as "woke indoctrination."

While the governor and other Republican lawmakers have claimed that the bill is meant to combat "indoctrination," critics have accused it of attempting to whitewash history and argued that it violates the First Amendment. In August 2022, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker of Tallahassee concurred with the latter argument in relation to the workplace portion of the bill, placing a preliminary injunction against its implementation.

In a unanimous ruling on Monday, three judges with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Walker's ruling, finding that the law violated the First Amendment rights of business owners.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-appointed-judges-shut-down-florida-stop-woke-act-1875810