Litigation Update: The Stop WOKE Act Cases

In 2022, the Florida Legislature passed a bill titled the Individual Freedom Act. The bill is better known as the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, or the Stop WOKE Act, and it has become a cultural flashpoint across the country.

The bill seeks to “protect individual freedoms and prevent discrimination in the workplace and in public schools.” While the bill explicitly authorizes “age-appropriate” classroom discussion of topics such as sexism, slavery, and racial discrimination, it prohibits instruction meant to “indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view inconsistent with the principles of individual freedom or state academic standards.” The bill went into effect on July 1, 2022, and it places new restrictions on Florida’s public schools, colleges, universities, and corporations.

Proponents of the bill argue that aspects of progressive ideology – often referred to as wokeness – are being aggressively pushed on students, parents, and employees, and the effect is tantamount to ideological oppression and indoctrination. Opponents of the bill say that the Stop WOKE Act infringes upon freedom of speech and thought. Several opponents – including prominent organizations like the ACLU and FIRE – have taken to the courts to block or pare back the bill’s influence.

Ryan Newman serves as General Counsel to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and he is responsible for driving Florida’s litigation defense of the Stop WOKE Act in cases such as Pernell v. Florida Board of Governors, Novoa v. Diaz, and Honeyfund.com Inc. v. DeSantis.

Featuring:
--Ryan Newman, General Counsel, Executive Office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis