Gov. Ron DeSantis called the 11th Circuit’s blocking of the “Stop WOKE Act” a “clear and unfortunate example of judicial overreach,” reacting to the second ruling this week against his anti “woke” agenda.
In a social media post about 24 hours after the ruling, the governor made clear his displeasure with the 2-1 federal appeals court decision.
“State universities are funded by taxpayers and directed by elected officials and their appointees,” DeSantis wrote, reiterating an argument made by the state in the lawsuit spanning four years. “The state has both a right and a responsibility to ensure instruction at these universities is consistent with the underlying mission and to exclude indoctrination and ideological agendas.”
The court’s majority opinion was written by Judge Britt Grant, an nominee of President Donald Trump. Grant was joined by Judge Charles Wilson, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.
“The ideas Florida targets may well be noxious. Or maybe not. Either way, in this context the First Amendment trusts students to figure it out for themselves,” Grant wrote for the majority in a 52-page opinion.
Judge Barbara Lagoa saw it different than the other two. She was appointed by Trump, too, and had previously been appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by DeSantis.
DeSantis, at the time the Stop WOKE Act became law, was building a record he would cite while running for the GOP nomination for president.
The law prohibited teaching that “promotes” or “compels” students to believe eight concepts spelled out in statute, including:
- That any race is “morally superior.”
- That anyone is “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive.”
- Someone is responsible for actions committed in the past by members of their race.
- That “such virtues as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist.”
“Florida was correct to bar CRT [Critical Race Theory] and DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion]. We also have a right to do so. We’ve seen so many institutions get corrupted by ideology, and universities have been perhaps the most common. The Constitution does not block us from fighting back against these ideological fads and from ensuring that our institutions stand on a solid intellectual foundation. This is a clear and unfortunate example of judicial overreach,” DeSantis concluded in his social media remark.
Tuesday, Attorney General James Uthmeier sang praises for Lagoa.
–Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
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