Overview
- A three‑judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court injunction that prevents Florida from enforcing the Stop WOKE Act’s higher‑education provisions against public colleges and universities.
- The ruling applies only to public higher education institutions and leaves classroom instruction at schools like Florida State University and Florida A&M protected for now.
- Judge Britt Grant wrote for the 2–1 majority that Florida’s 'salary‑for‑speech' theory is an overreach because it would allow the state to ban faculty viewpoints in the classroom.
- Judge Barbara Lagoa dissented, arguing the state may regulate state‑sponsored instruction, and Governor Ron DeSantis criticized the decision while Florida may seek rehearing en banc or appeal to the Supreme Court.
- The decision preserves academic freedom in higher education for the moment but leaves other parts of the 2022 law, and possible state responses such as governance or personnel reforms, still in play.