A federal appeals court blocks Florida’s “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act, and a longtime state senator passes.
Federal appeals court blocks ‘Stop Woke’ law
A federal appeals court ruling blocked Florida’s law that bans “woke” instruction at public universities.
The Stop Woke law was passed in 2022. It was pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as a defense against “indoctrinating” students. It restricts how colleges and universities can teach concepts of race and gender.
On Tuesday, a panel of judges struck down the Florida law, saying it violated the free speech rights of professors.
“The ideas Florida targets may well be noxious. Or maybe not. Either way, in this context the First Amendment trusts students to figure it out for themselves. We affirm the district court’s preliminary injunction,” the court said in the opinion.
DeSantis responded to the ruling on a post on X.
“State universities are funded by taxpayers and directed by elected officials and their appointees. The state has both a right and a responsibility to ensure instruction at these universities is consistent with the underlying mission and to exclude indoctrination and ideological agendas.
Florida was correct to bar CRT and DEI. We also have a right to do so.
We’ve seen so many institutions get corrupted by ideology, and universities have been perhaps the most common. The Constitution does not block us from fighting back against these ideological fads and from ensuring that our institutions stand on a solid intellectual foundation.
This is a clear and unfortunate example of judicial overreach.”
Longtime state senator Jack Latvala dies at 74
A longtime Florida senator who represented Pinellas County for several years has died.
Jack Latvala was 74.
His son, Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, announced his father’s death on Wednesday.
In a statement, Chris Latvala said, “We are grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and support during this difficult time. Jack dedicated a lifetime to public service and was honored to serve the community he loved. We appreciate everyone’s kindness as our family mourns this tremendous loss.”
Born in Oxford, Mississippi, and raised in Bartow, Jack Latvala graduated from Stetson University before becoming a well-known name in Florida politics.
A Republican, the elder Latvala served two stints in the state Senate, once from 1994 to 2002 and then again from 2010 to 2018.
Latvala stepped down from his state Senate position in 2018, and a gubernatorial bid, following allegations of sexual harassment from female staffers and lobbyists.
He denied any wrongdoing. In July 2019, a state prosecutor said there was insufficient evidence to prove that Jack Latvala, who had been budget chairman before the scandal broke, engaged in any misconduct.