Judge blocks Florida’s ‘Stop Woke Act’ restrictions for private companies

[essentialsaltes]

In a ruling that took aim at one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s top priorities, U.S. District Court Judge Mark E. Walker said Florida has turned “the First Amendment upside down” by trying to regulate how employers train employees on topics such as racial inclusion and gender equity.

“Normally, the First Amendment bars the state from burdening speech, while private actors may burden speech freely,” Walker wrote, comparing the state to the television series “Stranger Things.” “But in Florida, the First Amendment apparently bars private actors from burdening speech, while the state may burden speech freely.”

The “Stop Woke Act,” also referred to in court filings as the “Individual Freedom Measure,” prohibits trainings in public schools, colleges and universities, and workplaces that may cause someone to feel guilty or ashamed about the past collective actions of their race or sex. A violation of the act is an offense under state anti-discrimination laws.

The injunction, issued by Walker in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee, only blocks the enforcement of provisions of the law that deal with trainings offered by private employers.

As students return to classrooms, the law is already having far-reaching consequences, with teachers shelving some lesson plans amid considerable confusion over how it will be enforced. In July, the University of Central Florida even removed statements condemning racism from some websites, which faculty members believed was in response to the law.

 

[Yttrium]

DeSantis isn't winning me over if he intends to run for president. I might take him over Biden, but otherwise his approach to COVID-19 and free speech leave a bad impression with me.

 

[BobRyan]

how employers train employees on topics such as racial inclusion and gender equity.

wow -- gender identity, transgender training? That is the job of Home depot, Krogers and the lawn mower repair shop??

Seriously? what "constitution" is that??

 

[essentialsaltes]

wow -- gender identity, transgender training? That is the job of Home depot, Krogers and the lawn mower repair shop??

Most companies provide some sort of anti-harassment or anti-discrimination training to employees. Because employers may be liable for what their employees do. And obviously companies determine for themselves what their corporate culture is. They don't need big government interfering with them.

Seriously? what "constitution" is that??

The constitution applies restrictions on what the government can do. In particular, the government can't tell people (even corporate people) what they can or cannot say.

 

[BPPLEE]

Most companies provide some sort of anti-harassment or anti-discrimination training to employees. Because employers may be liable for what their employees do. And obviously companies determine for themselves what their corporate culture is. They don't need big government interfering with them.



The constitution applies restrictions on what the government can do. In particular, the government can't tell people (even corporate people) what they can or cannot say.

"In particular, the government can't tell people (even corporate people) what they can or cannot say."

Opinion | The White House and Twitter Censorship

 

[essentialsaltes]

"In particular, the government can't tell people (even corporate people) what they can or cannot say."

By force of law, obviously. That's the context here. Having a 'bully pulpit' is one of the perks of government office.

 

[Blade]

"compared the state to the “upside down” from the Netflix series Stranger Things, " Nice a woke show..

So it just stops here? Nope

 

[essentialsaltes]

Colleges too

‘Positively dystopian’: Florida judge blocks DeSantis’ anti-woke law for colleges​

A judge determined policies from the law violate First Amendment free speech protections along with due-process rights in the 14th Amendment on college campuses.

A federal judge on Thursday halted a key piece of the “Stop-WOKE” Act touted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, blocking state officials from enforcing what he called a “positively dystopian” policy restricting how lessons on race and gender can be taught in colleges and universities.

The 138-page order from Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker is being heralded as a major win for campus free speech by the groups who challenged the state.

“The law officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints,” wrote Walker. “Defendants argue that, under this Act, professors enjoy ‘academic freedom’ so long as they express only those viewpoints of which the State approves. This is positively dystopian.”

 

[DaisyDay]

One doesn't usually think of dystopia as positive.

 

[essentialsaltes]

In a ruling that took aim at one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s top priorities, U.S. District Court Judge Mark E. Walker said Florida has turned “the First Amendment upside down” by trying to regulate how employers train employees on topics such as racial inclusion and gender equity.

Appeals court blocks Fla. ‘Stop Woke Act,’ says it’s a ‘First Amendment sin’​

A three-judge panel upheld a previous ruling that said the state law violates private companies’ right to freedom of speech and expression​

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled Monday that the “Stop Woke Act” “exceeds the bounds” of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression in its attempts to regulate workplace trainings on race, color, sex and national origin. The appeals court upheld a federal judge’s August 2022 ruling that said the same [i.e. the OP].

 

[essentialsaltes]

Private Company part of Stop WOKE Act permanently blocked by federal judge as unconstitutional​

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a two-page order granting a permanent injunction against the workplace training part of the law.

The move came after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this year upheld a preliminary injunction that Walker issued in 2022. Walker and the appeals court said the restrictions violated First Amendment rights.

 

[Pommer]

Private Company part of Stop WOKE Act permanently blocked by federal judge as unconstitutional​

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a two-page order granting a permanent injunction against the workplace training part of the law.

The move came after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this year upheld a preliminary injunction that Walker issued in 2022. Walker and the appeals court said the restrictions violated First Amendment rights.

Another win for Disney!?

 

[Merrill]

Another win for Disney!?

pretty sure Disney isn't winning anything. As the stock market has rallied in the last 3 years, their stock has lost 40%+ of its value, they have seen shareholder revolts, and analyst downgrades

but they can keep pushing the degenerate Marxist filth and see how that turns out for them

 

[DaisyDay]

View attachment 352307
pretty sure Disney isn't winning anything. As the stock market has rallied in the last 3 years, their stock has lost 40%+ of its value, they have seen shareholder revolts, and analyst downgrades

but they can keep pushing the degenerate Marxist filth and see how that turns out for them

I don't know but touting Disney as "degenerate Marxist filth" is weirdly hilarious. I'm not a fan of Disney, never have been, but for different reasons.

 

[Arcangl86]

I don't know but touting Disney as "degenerate Marxist filth" is weirdly hilarious. I'm not a fan of Disney, never have been, but for different reasons.

Right? Disney is one of the biggest companies in the world and is known for treating employees poorly, and yet the yare Marxist? And from what I can tell the main reason they are disliked by the right is their support of LGBT+ folx, which is something that Marx wouldn't have given a flying fig about. Oh, and their support of LGBT+ issues is entirely dependent on the market since they want to maximize the return on their capital as much as possible.