TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — The Council on American-Islamic Relations has suspended operations in Florida after a federal judge declined to block the state’s designation of CAIR and its Florida chapter as “domestic terrorist organizations.”
The designation stems from a 2026 Florida law allowing state officials to identify domestic terrorist organizations and restrict their access to public funding, contracts and other benefits. The law also creates penalties for certain forms of material support.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, a Trump appointee, acknowledged that Florida’s designation system is unusual but rejected CAIR’s request for emergency relief. He did not resolve the lawsuit’s broader constitutional claims.
CAIR and the ACLU argue the law violates First Amendment protections for speech and association as well as due-process rights. The ACLU says it plans to appeal.
An important distinction is that CAIR is not designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, and the organization has not been accused by federal authorities of carrying out terrorist attacks. Florida’s action is a state designation under its newly created system.
The dispute is separate from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2025 executive order targeting CAIR, which another federal ruling previously blocked on First Amendment grounds. That litigation also remains ongoing.
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