Ruling on Florida's ‘Stop WOKE Act’ has ramifications for other states

Higher ed's battle over academic freedom and what may be taught in public college classrooms recently experienced a consequential First Amendment ruling. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit decided Pernell v. Lamb in July, affirming a lower court's injunction of the higher education provisions of Florida's Individual Freedom Act, the 2022 state law also known as the “Stop WOKE Act.” In a 2–1 decision , the Court held that the Act's restrictions on what faculty members at public colleges and universities may say about race, sex, and national origin violate the First Amendment. For higher education professionals in and beyond Florida, the decision is a forceful statement about academic freedom and the limits of legislative control in the classroom.