A federal judge has permanently blocked part of Florida’s controversial “Stop Woke Act,” a law pushed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and other GOP lawmakers to ban critical race theory training in the workplace and in education. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker granted a permanent injunction against the part of the law that prohibited race-related training in private workplaces, ruling that it violated the First Amendment.
The law, officially known as the “Stop Wrongs To Our Kids and Employees Act,” aimed to ban teachings or business practices that promote the idea that individuals of one ethnic group are inherently racist or should feel guilty for past actions committed by people of that group. It also sought to prohibit the notion that a person’s race or gender determines whether they are privileged or oppressed, as well as the idea that discrimination is acceptable to achieve diversity.
The ruling is seen as a victory for free speech advocates, with counsel Shalini Goel Agarwal of Protect Democracy stating, “[This is] a powerful reminder that the First Amendment cannot be warped to serve the interests of elected officials.”
While the portion of the law focused on education remains unaffected by the ruling, Governor DeSantis has often touted Florida as the place where “woke goes to die” in reference to the law.
This decision comes after a preliminary injunction was issued in 2022 against the workplace portion of the law, which was upheld by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March. Additionally, a separate preliminary injunction has been issued against the part of the law that would restrict how race-related concepts can be taught in Florida’s colleges and universities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
