Federal Judge Ruled Florida’s Stop WOKE Act Crosses the First Amendment
A federal judge struck down Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Stop WOKE Act, finding that it violates the First Amendment rights of students and faculty at public universities. The ruling delivers a direct rebuke to one of DeSantis’ signature legislative efforts.
The judge’s language was blunt.
“If the First Amendment offers any boundary of protection at all for public university classrooms, this statute crosses it.”
Federal judge ruling on Florida’s Stop WOKE Act, July 2026
The court also called the law “a breathtaking assertion of power,” a phrase that signals how far outside constitutional norms the judge found the statute to reach.
What the Stop WOKE Act Did
DeSantis signed the Stop WOKE Act, formally called the Individual Freedom Act, in April 2022. The law restricted how educators at public universities could discuss race, gender identity, and related concepts in the classroom. Faculty who violated it faced professional discipline. Students in affected courses had no guarantee their coursework would reflect current academic standards on those subjects.
Courts had already pushed back on parts of the law before this ruling. In 2022, a separate federal judge blocked the workplace provisions, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision. The university provisions continued to be litigated. This ruling targets those classroom restrictions directly.
LGBTQ+ students and faculty were among those most affected by the law’s chilling effect. Discussions of gender identity, sexual orientation, and related history were precisely the kind of content instructors grew cautious about under threat of enforcement.
Why This Ruling Matters Beyond Florida
Florida’s Stop WOKE Act became a model. Legislators in other states introduced similar bills restricting classroom speech on race and gender. A definitive constitutional ruling in Florida strengthens legal challenges to those copycat laws.
The ruling does not automatically end the law’s enforcement. Florida’s attorney general could appeal to the 11th Circuit. Readers in Florida should watch whether the state seeks a stay of the ruling while appealing, which would keep enforcement active during that period.
What You Can Do Now
-
Contact Florida’s legislative delegation at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to oppose any appeal of this ruling and to repeal the Stop WOKE Act legislatively. Ask specifically that they support restoring full First Amendment protections in Florida public universities.
-
Contact your own state legislators if you live in a state with a similar law pending. Find your state lawmakers at openstates.org and ask them to cite this ruling by name when opposing classroom speech restrictions.
-
Contact the ACLU of Florida at aclufl.org/en/contact to ask how to support ongoing litigation and to report First Amendment violations in Florida public universities you witness or experience.
-
Check whether your university has updated its policies to reflect this ruling. Contact your faculty senate or student government and ask them to formally request that administration rescind any Stop WOKE Act compliance guidance.
Sources
LGBTQ Nation: Federal Judge Strikes Down DeSantis Stop WOKE Act as Unconstitutional
ACLU: Legislative Attacks on LGBTQ Rights Tracker
NPR: Florida’s Stop WOKE Act and the Courts, Background and Timeline
Brennan Center: State Campus Free Speech Laws and Their Constitutional Limits