Posted on 07/12/2026 7:09:52 AM PDT by MtnClimber
A federal appeals court struck down the higher education restrictions of Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” that restricts critical race theory (CRT) indoctrination in the state’s public colleges and universities.
Breitbart News reports that the ruling pertains to the Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees Act (Stop WOKE Act), which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed in 2022.
CRT is a Marxist ideology which “claims that all of our institutions — our government, our economy, our culture — are based on racial hierarchy, with whites on top and blacks at the bottom. Even things that look race-neutral are, on closer inspection, racist.”
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the law’s salary-for-speech provision violates the First Amendment, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The decision came in response to two lawsuits brought by professors, students, and a student group who claim the law is unconstitutional censorship and applies specifically to Florida’s public colleges and universities.
Judge Britt Grant, a Trump appointee, wrote on behalf of the majority:
Florida’s salary-for-speech rule is a breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the State’s own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry — classrooms where students are trusted to puzzle through ideas that are good and bad, easy and hard, ideally getting ever closer to the truth.
Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Trump appointee, dissented, contending that Florida has interest in regulating state-sponsored instruction.
Lagoa wrote:
To be clear, the First Amendment protects all viewpoints in the public square, whether they are conventional or uncontroversial. But it does not compel all viewpoints to be worthy of state-sponsored endorsement.
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in a post on X, argued that the ruling was a “clear and unfortunate” example of judicial overreach, stating, “Florida was correct to bar CRT and DEI. We have a right to do so.”
The split ruling leaves open the opportunity for Florida to pursue a rehearing or appeal to the Supreme Court.
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I expect to see challenges to the new Florida law requiring “The History of Communism” to be taught in middle schools and high schools.
FINE - stop funding the public colleges then, and use the money to help people with insurance and HOA costs.
Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” intended to restrict “critical race theory
(CRT) indoctrination” in the state’s public colleges and universities.
CRT is anti-American Marxist ideology which “claims that all of our institutions — our government, our economy, our culture — are based on “racial hierarchy,” with whites on top and blacks at the bottom. Even things that look race-neutral are, on closer inspection, racist.”
Old Billy was right.
The decision was reached by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. The judges on this panel were nominated by the following presidents:Judge Britt Grant: Nominated by President Donald Trump in 2018 (joined the majority opinion).Justice Charles Wilson: Nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1999 (joined the majority opinion).Justice Barbara Lagoa: Nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019 (dissented).
Since when is the govrnment - i.e. the taxpayers - required to fund classes that they don’t want to?
That has been the argument of the ACLU w.r.t. religion classes for the last 100 years.
You wanna get woke? Pay to go to Reed college. Your money.
States Rights.
There’s a big difference between learning about and discussing an unpopular act or theory as opposed to indoctrination.
But these universities weren’t doing that; they were force feeding this crap down the mouths of everyone who attended as gospel truth.
Professor Leftist cordially invites his students to his home for an hour of speech, non-alcholic drinks and tapas, all free.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals majority has given aid and comfort to the domestic and foreign enemies of the United States of America.
BAN HOA’S
Just another Regal Judge exercising its power over the Executive Branch while Congre$$ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzxx.
Would be a great name for a Vietnamese restaurant.
The state should require and provide a foundation in reading, writing, mathematics, history, economics and civics. After that, feel free to pay for whatever floats your boat, just don’t expect taxpayers to foot the bill for it.
YES!!!
Since when is the government (taxpayers) required to fund classes that they don’t want to?
That has been the argument of the ACLU w.r.t. religion classes for the last 100 years.
Excellent catch.
The solution for this is to abolish tenure and replace trustees, university presidents, and administrators until academic integrity and a commitment to the pursuit of truth are again valued.
“FINE - stop funding the public colleges then, and use the money to help people with insurance and HOA costs.”
or simply not fund critical race theory and other nonsense while they’re at it, including costs of classroom space and percentage of fully loaded salary and percentage of general overhead, and possibly disallow credits of such classes ...
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