Florida judge wallops Ron DeSantis' 'political posturing'

Religion New Service reports a federal judge blocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bid to demonize a Muslim civil rights organization by calling it a “terrorist group.”

The group is not listed on the U.S. Department of State’s list of terrorist organizations, and in his ruling, Judge Mark E. Walker, U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Florida, called the governor’s move politically motivated and unconstitutional.

“The First Amendment bars the Governor from continuing the troubling trend of using an executive office to make a political statement at the expense of others’ constitutional rights,” said Walker in his ruling. “The Governor’s decree coerces third parties, under threat of losing government benefits, to disassociate from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”), thereby closing avenues of expression and suppressing CAIR’s protected speech. Once again, Florida chooses political posturing over the First Amendment.”

The judge added that DeSantis “simply urges this Court to give blind deference to his judgment in naming CAIR a ‘terrorist organization,’” and then refused to do exactly that.

DeSantis, one of Florida’s more controversial Republicans, issued his executive order two months ago, directing state agencies to deny it and those who support it benefits. The group and its state chapter immediately filed suit.

Religion News Service reports the court’s injunction allows CAIR-Florida to continue its work without government retaliation while the lawsuit plays out. CAIR’s work includes advocacy and legal efforts.

Hiba Rahim, interim executive director of CAIR-Florida, told RNS that the governor’s executive order had a “chilling effect” on the wider Florida Muslim community. She said donations to the organization fell and some public institutions and elected officials reconsidered their associations with the organization.

“The language is broad enough to attack any organization or institution that the government is politically unsatisfied with,” Rahim added.