A federal judge permanently blocked the restrictions Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers imposed on addressing race-related issues in workplace training, which were part of the controversial 2022 law known as the “Stop WOKE Act.”
On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a two-page order granting a permanent injunction against the law’s workplace-training provisions.
This decision follows the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ upholding of a preliminary injunction that Walker issued in 2022. Both Walker and the appeals court determined that the restrictions violated First Amendment rights.
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The workplace-training portion of the law listed eight race-related concepts and stated that any required training program or activity that “espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such individual (an employee) to believe any of the following concepts constitutes discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin.”
The law faced challenges from Primo Tampa, LLC, a Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream franchisee; Honeyfund.com, Inc., a Clearwater-based technology company providing wedding registries; and Chevara Orrin along with her company, Collective Concepts, LLC, which offers consulting and training to employers on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In addition to this ruling, Judge Walker has issued a separate preliminary injunction against another part of the law that restricts how race-related concepts can be taught in universities. An appeals court panel held a hearing on that case in June.
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