In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking unprecedented steps to invoke national security on the state level to designate local groups as terrorist organizations — a move directly aimed at Muslim advocacy civil rights groups and pro-Palestinian activists. The problem, at least for Republicans in Florida, is that their new policy is in conflict with the First Amendment.
Earlier this month, DeSantis signed HB 1471, a bill giving the governor and his cabinet the power to designate any group they deem as engaging in “terrorist activity” as a terrorist organization, with the authority to dissolve those groups and prosecute anyone who has provided them material support. The law does not require the governor to disclose the basis for their designation, though it does set some parameters around why a group might be recommended for the designation. It also targets educational institutions by prohibiting them from promoting any such organization and, under certain circumstances, requires universities to expel students who express support for these groups.
