Judge Prevents Florida’s ‘Stop W.O.K.E. Act’ From Being Enforced at Colleges and Universities

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker blocked Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ law, “Stop W.O.K.E Act,” from applying to higher education. He claimed the law is “positively dystopian” and leaves no room for “open-mindedness and critical inquiry.” Walker claimed the “Defendants’ argument permits zero restraint on the State of Florida’s power to expand its limitation on viewpoints to any idea it chooses.”

From The Daily Caller:

Under the law, professors who teach race in a way that induces guilt or blame in the classroom could be fired or penalized. Professors accused of violating the law would be reviewed by faculty members and could be fired if given an “unsatisfactory review”

DeSantis signed the “Stop W.O.K.E Act” into law in April, and it became effective on July 1. Walker blocked another aspect of the law in August, which prohibited businesses from implementing race-related training programs.

“The Stop W.O.K.E. Act protects the open exchange of ideas by prohibiting teachers or employers who hold agency over others from forcing discriminatory concepts on students as part of classroom instruction or on employees as a condition of maintaining employment,” DeSantis’ office said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “An ‘open-minded and critical’ environment necessitates that one is free from discrimination. We intend to appeal.”

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