Federal Judge Blocks DeSantis Order Labeling Muslim Civil Rights Group a Terrorist Organization
A Florida federal judge ruled that Governor Ron DeSantis violated the First Amendment when he issued an executive order classifying the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a terrorist organization — cutting off the group from state contracts and government benefits.
Published: March 5, 2026
The Ruling
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking the executive order, ruling that the governor’s action amounted to using the power of his office to suppress constitutionally protected speech and religious association.
In his written opinion, Judge Walker stated that the First Amendment bars the governor from making a political statement at the expense of others’ constitutional rights. He further wrote that the order coerced third parties — under threat of losing government benefits — into cutting ties with CAIR, effectively shutting down avenues of expression and suppressing the organization’s protected speech.
To anchor his ruling in American legal tradition, Judge Walker cited President George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, citing it as a foundational text for the protection of religious minorities under the U.S. Constitution.
The Executive Order
DeSantis signed the executive order on December 8, 2025, declaring CAIR a terrorist organization. The order barred the group from receiving any state contract, employment opportunity, funding, or other government benefit or privilege.
CAIR — the Council on American-Islamic Relations — is one of the largest Muslim civil rights organizations in the United States.
Reactions
CAIR
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad welcomed the ruling, saying the decision represented a defeat of what he described as an attack on the civil rights organization. Awad called the outcome a reminder that the Constitution still matters, particularly amid what he characterized as widespread political attacks on free speech, religious freedom, immigrant rights, and due process.
Governor’s Office
The governor’s communications director pushed back on the ruling in a statement, accusing the judge of using his judicial office to make a political statement at the expense of a party before him — mirroring the language Judge Walker used in the ruling itself.
About the Judge
Judge Walker was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in early 2012. The U.S. Senate confirmed him by a vote of 94 to 0.
This is a developing story.