The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its Florida chapter have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials, challenging a new state law that Florida planned to use to designate the organization a “domestic terrorist organization.”
DeSantis signed HB 1471 and HB 1473 into law in April, creating a state process allowing officials to label nonprofits as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The law took effect July 1, and DeSantis said at a news conference that day that the state’s chief of domestic security had recommended designating CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa as domestic terrorist organizations, according to the Florida Phoenix.
CAIR, CAIR-Florida, the ACLU, the ACLU of Florida and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed suit the following day, arguing the designation would violate the organizations’ First Amendment and due process rights. The lawsuit contends the law gives Florida’s executive branch broad discretion to punish organizations based on unproven allegations, with no meaningful notice or hearing before a neutral decisionmaker, according to WLRN.
CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the country, and CAIR-Florida is its state chapter. The lawsuit says a “domestic terrorist” designation would cause immediate and irreparable harm, including the potential shuttering of the organization’s operations in Florida, according to WFTV.
As of mid-July, Florida had not carried out the designation. According to a court filing, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement intends to issue regulations before proceeding, and officials have not given a timeline for when those regulations will be finalized. The parties are due to update the court by July 22, per the Florida Phoenix.
It is DeSantis’ second attempt to designate CAIR a terrorist organization. He first tried through an executive order in December, which CAIR challenged in court; a federal judge issued a temporary injunction blocking that designation in March, a ruling the DeSantis administration has appealed, according to the Florida Phoenix. DeSantis has said members of CAIR have alleged ties to foreign terrorist organizations, per WFTV.
