TAMPA, Fla. — A federal appeals court has denied Florida’s request to enforce its controversial Individual Freedom act, also called the Stop Woke act, at colleges and universities while a lawsuit challenging the controversial 2022 law is pending.
The ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals follows a federal judge’s injunction against enforcement in November, which the state appealed.
The injunction by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker came as a result of two lawsuits alleging the law stifles speech and prevents free discussion of race and racial history in the classroom. One case was filed by a student and a professor from the University of South Florida, with representation by the civil liberties group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. The other was filed by a Florida A&M law professor backed by several groups, including the Legal Defense Fund.
