The Council on American-Islamic Relations has suspended its operations in Florida as the state’s designation of the Muslim civil rights organization as a domestic terrorist group takes effect, following a federal court decision declining to block enforcement of the law.
The designation stems from legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) that gives Florida officials the authority to identify organizations as domestic terrorist groups and restrict their access to public funding, government contracts, and other state benefits. The law also establishes criminal penalties for providing certain forms of material support to designated organizations.
CAIR and its Florida chapter challenged the law in federal court, arguing that the designation violates their First Amendment rights to free speech and association, as well as their constitutional right to due process.
In his decision, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida Judge Allen Winsor, a Trump appointee, acknowledged Florida’s designation system is unusual, noting that terrorist designations have historically been handled by the federal government and have generally involved foreign organizations.
“Still, the Constitution does not prohibit legislation simply because it is novel,” Allen wrote.
Allen also recognized the consequences of the designation, accepting the organizations’ claims that it would effectively force them to close their Florida operations. However, Allen concluded that the constitutional questions before it were narrower, focusing on whether the groups received adequate due process and whether their speech and association rights had been violated.
CAIR-Florida announced its suspension in a notice posted on its office doors, saying it had been forced to close because of what it called the state’s “baseless and unconstitutional enforcement” of the law.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents CAIR, said it would appeal the decision.
“Today’s decision upholds state officials’ sweeping power to punish American organizations they brand as ‘terrorist,’ without due process and in violation of the First Amendment,” said Ashley Gorski, senior counsel with the ACLU’s National Security Project.
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated the decision, calling it a victory for the state and its Solicitor General’s Office.
“This morning, a federal court upheld Florida’s Domestic Terrorist Organization law and rejected CAIR’s attempt to stop the designations,” Uthmeier wrote on X.
CAIR is not designated as a domestic terrorist organization by the U.S. government and has not carried out terrorist attacks. But the organization has faced political scrutiny over alleged ties to Hamas and other Islamist groups.
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In December 2025, DeSantis signed an executive order designating CAIR as a terrorist organization, but a federal judge temporarily blocked it in March on First Amendment grounds. The order is currently undergoing appeal.
The ruling does not resolve every claim in the lawsuit, and CAIR’s legal challenge will continue as the organization seeks to overturn the designation.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
