Elham Asaad Buaras
A federal judge in the United States has temporarily blocked an executive order issued by the Republican governor of the US state of Florida, that sought to label the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a “terrorist organisation”.
CAIR is one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisations in the United States. The order, signed by Ron DeSantis in December, would have prevented state and local authorities across Florida from working with or providing support to the organisation or to individuals accused of assisting it.
In a ruling issued in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, District Judge Mark Walker granted a temporary injunction preventing the order from being enforced while the case proceeds through the courts. The judge concluded that the governor did not have the legal authority to unilaterally designate a domestic civil rights group as a terrorist organisation.
The decision came nearly three months after DeSantis signed the directive on December 8. His order instructed Florida’s executive agencies, cabinet offices, and all county and municipal governments to deny contracts, employment, funding, benefits, or privileges to CAIR and to anyone considered to be providing “material support” to the group, including “expert advice or assistance”.
“The question before this Court is whether the Governor can, in a non-emergency situation, unilaterally designate one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in America as a ‘terrorist organization’ and withhold government benefits from anyone providing material support or resources to the group,” Walker wrote in his ruling. “This Court finds he cannot.”
CAIR has never been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by any agency of the US federal government.
The organisation filed a lawsuit just eight days after the executive order was issued, arguing that the measure violated its First Amendment rights under the US Constitution, which protect freedom of speech. CAIR said the order discriminated against it based on its views, was issued in retaliation for its advocacy, and pressured other organisations to distance themselves from the group.
In his ruling, Walker wrote that CAIR’s legal standing was based not on direct censorship of its speech but on what he described as the governor’s “coercion of third parties to cut ties with Plaintiff”.
He cited evidence that a Florida-based production company withdrew from an agreement to produce a podcast intended to support CAIR’s public education and civil rights work shortly after the executive order was announced.
Walker also referred to a decision by the South Florida Muslim Federation to publicly disassociate from CAIR’s Florida chapter ahead of a conference scheduled for late January at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.
That decision followed a social media post by Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, the state’s top law enforcement official, warning that “Coral Springs should remember that state and local resources cannot be used by any organization affiliated with CAIR” and adding that “[t]he city commission is on notice.”
DeSantis’ executive order listed both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as “terrorist organisations”. The move came three weeks after Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of the Texas, issued a proclamation barring CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, and their members from purchasing or acquiring land in the state. Abbott accused the groups of supporting terrorism and undermining Texas laws through harassment, intimidation, and violence.
Responding to the ruling, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said the decision reaffirmed constitutional protections.
“Amid widespread attempts by politicians to undermine our democracy, including attacks on free speech, religious freedom, immigrant rights, and due process, this federal court ruling serves as a reminder that the Constitution still matters,” he said.
Southern Poverty Law Center deputy legal director Scott McCoy, whose organisation joined CAIR’s lawsuit, also welcomed the decision.
“Today’s ruling is a decisive victory for the Constitution and for the principle that no governor can place themselves above the law,” he said.
“Governor DeSantis attempted to wield the power of his office to smear a civil rights organisation, silence its advocacy and intimidate those who support it. The court rightly rejected that abuse of power. This executive order was never about public safety — it was about targeting a Muslim organization for its speech and its advocacy. The court’s ruling makes clear that the Constitution does not allow elected officials to punish organizations or individuals simply because they disagree with their views.”
The ruling comes as a bill is moving through the Florida state legislature that would allow a small group of state officials to designate domestic or foreign organisations as terrorist groups.
Feature photo: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a rally organised by the conservative activist group Turning Point USA in Phoenix. A federal judge has blocked his order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a “terrorist organisation”. (Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC))
