Federal Judge Blocks Florida’s ‘Stop Woke Act’ Once Again – NBC 6 South Florida

A Federal judicial official has once more blocked Florida’s ‘Stop Woke Act’, a regulation that banned organizations that receive public funding from providing “divisive concepts” in instruction materials, on Wednesday.

US District Judge Robert L. Hinkle enjoined the implementation of the Act, which was passed by lawmakers in June. The judge argued the Act was too sweeping and vague in its language, making it difficult to ascertain what could be considered ‘divisive’ ideas.

The measure, which was proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis, was meant to forbid public schools and state-funded universities from teaching “critical race theory”, which examines racism’s role in US history and the contemporary world, amongst others. In his ruling, Hinkle wrote the Act’s language was too broad, making it difficult to differentiate between concepts that could be deemed ‘divisive’ and those that could not.

The Act also sought to ban all instruction materials that discuss the concept of “systemic racism”. By ruling against the Act, Hinkle declared that a broad interpretation of the Act could be seen as unconstitutional, as it would restrict the free speech of educators.

In his ruling, Hinkle noted the Act would likely deter organizations from providing instruction materials that could be construed as ‘divisive’ and, as a result, curtail their freedom of speech. The judge further stated that the Act’s language was too vague, making it difficult to determine what constituted as ‘divisive’ ideas and concepts.

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida praised Hinkle’s ruling, noting it was a victory for the First Amendment.

A Federal judge has again blocked the implementation of Florida’s ‘Stop Woke Act’, declaring that the regulation’s language was overly broad and vague, thus making it difficult to separate concepts that could be seen as ‘divisive’ from those that could not. The Act, which was proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis, sought to forbid public schools and state-funded universities from teaching ‘critical race theory’, amongst others. US District Judge Robert L. Hinkle argued the Act would likely suppress organizations’ freedom of speech, as it would deter them from providing instruction materials that could be interpreted as ‘divisive’. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida praised the ruling, stating it was a victory for the First Amendment.