A federal judge on Friday issued a permanent injunction against a section of Florida’s “Stop Woke Act,” which was pushed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and other GOP legislators.
The law aimed to ban critical race theory training in workplaces and educational settings.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a permanent injunction against the provision of the law that banned race-related training in private workplaces. He determined that the 2022 law violated the First Amendment.
The “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act,” commonly known as the “Stop WOKE Act,” aimed to prohibit teachings and business practices that suggest individuals from one ethnic group are inherently racist or should feel guilt for the actions of others from that group.
The law also bans the idea that individuals are either privileged or oppressed based on their race or gender. Additionally, it prohibits the notion that discrimination is acceptable for achieving diversity.
It said a mandated training program or other activity that “espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such individual (an employee) to believe any of the following concepts constitutes discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin,” citing eight race-related concepts.
“[This is] a powerful reminder that the First Amendment cannot be warped to serve the interests of elected officials,” read a statement from counsel Shalini Goel Agarwal of Protect Democracy, which represented the plaintiffs in this case.
The portion of the law focused on education is unaffected by the ruling.
DeSantis has often referred to the law when saying that Florida was where “woke goes to die.”
Walker had earlier issued a preliminary injunction in 2022, declaring the workplace provisions of the law unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his decision in March.
In a separate action, Walker issued a preliminary injunction against the provision of the law that would limit how race-related concepts are taught in Florida’s colleges and universities, according to Fox 35. An appeals court panel reviewed the case last month.
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