A federal judge on Friday permanently blocked parts of Florida’s “Stop-Walk” law that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican lawmakers had pushed to ban critical race theory training in the workplace and educational settings.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a permanent injunction against parts of the law banning race-related training in private workplaces, ruling that the 2022 law violates the First Amendment.
The Stop Child and Employee Maltreatment Act, also known as the Stop WOKE Act, sought to ban teachings or business practices that teach individuals that members of an ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilty for actions committed by people of that ethnic group in the past.
It also prohibits the imposition of the notion that someone is privileged or oppressed on the basis of race or sex, and it prohibits the notion that discrimination is acceptable in order to achieve diversity.
Federal appeals court blocks parts of DeSantis’ ‘STOP WOKE Act’ on constitutional grounds
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivers a political speech at the Museum of Flight in Garden City, New York, April 1, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
The company listed eight race-related concepts and said any mandatory training program or other activity that “endorses, promotes, advances, inculcates or compels any individual (employee) to believe in any of the following concepts” constitutes discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex or national origin.
“[This is] “This is a stark reminder that the First Amendment should not be bent to benefit elected officials,” Shalini Goel Agarwal, an attorney with Protect Democracy, who represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said in a statement.
The parts of the law that focus on education are not affected by the ruling.
DeSantis has frequently referred to the law when he says Florida is “a place where woke people go to die.”
Federal Judge Awards DeSantis Administration ‘STOP WOKE ACT’ Victory
Governor DeSantis has frequently referred to this law when saying Florida is “a place where woke people go to die.” (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
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Walker issued a preliminary injunction in 2022, ruling that the workplace law violates the First Amendment, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision in March.
Separately, Governor Walker issued a preliminary injunction against a portion of a law that restricts the teaching of race-related concepts at Florida universities. Fox 35The Court of Appeal heard the case last month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
