A federal judge has blocked enforcement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order that designates two Muslim groups as terrorist organizations. Last December, DeSantis followed the lead of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the…
Florida and Texas AGs say they won’t enforce antidiscrimination laws
The chief legal officers of Florida and Texas said they will not enforce state anti-discrimination laws they consider unconstitutional. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a 14-page opinion on Martin Luther King Jr. Day targeting more than 80 anti-discrimination measures…
Muslim group sues DeSantis over his executive order
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the U.S. and state constitutions with an executive order labeling the Council on American-Islamic Relations a terrorist organization, the Muslim civil rights group says in a new federal lawsuit. The litigation claims DeSantis’ Dec. 8…
A different court says Alligator Alcatraz can stay open
The Trump administration may resume using Florida’s secluded “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center while litigation against the facility proceeds, a federal appeals court ruled 2-1. The Sept. 4 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit paused a…
Environmentalists win temporary pause at Alligator Alcatraz
A federal court in Miami has ordered Florida to temporarily pause construction of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center. And ICE is now hiring “patriotic Americans” as young as 18. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled Aug. 7 the state…
Florida parents fight for right to get books restored
Three parents are appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit contending Florida violated their constitutional right to contest the removal of books from public schools. The target of the initial lawsuit and the appeal is a 2023 state law providing a…
Swamp bait: The forgotten horror of feeding Black babies to alligators
In the depths of the Florida Everglades, a place teeming with mosquitoes, swamps and predatory reptiles, the U.S. government has endorsed what many human rights activists now call Alligator Alcatraz — a sprawling 39-square-mile detention facility for immigrants surrounded not…
Court says Florida cannot enforce its own immigration law
Florida cannot enforce a new law making it a crime for undocumented immigrants to enter or remain in the state, the U.S. Supreme Court said July 9. The one-sentence order let stand a lower court ruling barring the state from…
Florida faith leaders plead with DeSantis to slow executions
More than 100 Florida faith leaders signed a letter pleading with Gov. Ron DeSantis to pause the fast pace of executions in the state this year. Seven men have been executed already in 2025, and two more are scheduled to…
Six Southern states create new accrediting agency
With U.S. President Donald Trump attempting to force academic accrediting agencies to be less “woke” and more responsive to conservatives’ demands, six public universities last week announced formation of their own accrediting agency. This is an attempt to separate from…
Florida Drag Ban Halted By Appellate Court
A ban on minors attending family-friendly drag shows in Florida was halted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Tuesday after judges ruled 2-1 that it violated the First Amendment.
Harsh Florida law blocked while Trump administration sows more fear among immigrants
In the fast-moving world of U.S. immigration news, a Florida court blocked a severe state law while the Trump administration continues to spread fear in its anti-immigrant campaign. A federal court in Miami temporarily blocked a new Florida law that…