From NBC6 Miami: A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement on Wednesday of an executive order issued last year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that designates two Muslim groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker wrote in his preliminary injunction that the First Amendment bars the governor from continuing the troubling trend of using an executive office to make a political statement at the expense of others’ constitutional rights.
The governor’s order targeted the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood. His office didn’t immediately respond Wednesday evening to an email seeking comment about the judge’s order.
CAIR and other civil rights groups sued DeSantis in December, shortly after the executive order was issued. The group has more than 20 chapters across the United States, and its work involves legal actions, advocacy and education outreach. The lawsuit claims the executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional, specifically that DeSantis has usurped the exclusive authority of the federal government to identify and designate terrorist organizations.
The lawsuit continues to move forward, while the judge’s ruling halt’s enforcement of the DeSantis’ ruling until the case is settled.
In his temporary ruling, Walker wrote, “The question before this Court is whether the Governor can, in a non-emergency situation, unilaterally designate one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in America as a ‘terrorist organization’ and withhold government benefits from anyone providing material support or resources to the group.”
NBC, a liberal news outlet, then claimed in their report, “Anti-Muslim bias has persisted in different forms since Sept. 11, 2001, and there has been a rise in Islamophobia during more than two years of war in Gaza.”
JUST IN: A federal judge has barred Gov DeSantis from designating CAIR as a terrorist organization and punish those who associate with the group.
“Once again, Florida chooses political posturing over the First Amendment,” Judge Walker writes. https://t.co/wedOMJxgDv pic.twitter.com/KkuQhxLFwe
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 4, 2026
Gov. DeSantis has not yet publicly responded to the ruling.
Many people on social media are voicing hopes that the governor will escalate the matter to the Florida Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, CAIR is celebrating their victory, and released the following statement on X:
VICTORY: we just won an a federal court order that blocks Florida Governor @RonDeSantis from enforcing his defamatory and unconstitutional proclamation targeting our civil rights organization.
As we warned @GovRonDeSantis, no politician has the right to unilaterally declare Americans “terrorists” and punish them because they dare to criticize U.S. support for the Israeli government’s crimes.
We and @CAIRFlorida want to thank our legal team at @splcenter, CAIR Legal Defense Fund, @MLFA, and Akeel & Valentine for their amazing work. We also thank our supporters and partners inside and outside of the American Muslim community for standing with us. And of course, we praise and thank God. Alhamdulillah.
With support from Americans of all backgrounds, CAIR will continue to act as a shield: protecting the American Muslim community from the arrows of hate and discrimination while also advancing free speech, religious freedom and civil rights for everyone in our nation. Insha Allah, God willing.
🚨VICTORY: we just won an a federal court order that blocks Florida Governor @RonDeSantis from enforcing his defamatory and unconstitutional proclamation targeting our civil rights organization.
As we warned @GovRonDeSantis, no politician has the right to unilaterally declare… pic.twitter.com/HuegReK17Z
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) March 4, 2026
In another post, CAIR mocked, “Hey, @RonDeSantis. Do you want to tell everyone the good news, or should we?”
Hey, @RonDeSantis. Do you want to tell everyone the good news, or should we? pic.twitter.com/WEwDBfnMjx
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) March 4, 2026
Islamic expert Amy Mek warned:
BREAKING FLORIDA – YOU ARE BEING CONQUERED! OBAMA JUDGE JUST HANDCUFFED FLORIDA PATRIOTS AND IS FIGHTING WITH CAIR — WHO WILL FURTHER ISLAMIZE YOUR STATE? WHERE IS THE HELP FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?!
CAIR is LAUGHING AT AMERICA – THIS TAKEOVER IS EASY! Obama-appointed Judge Mark E. Walker just BLOCKED @GovRonDeSantis’s EO designating CAIR (Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas FRONT) as a terrorist!
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Legal Defense Fund (LDF). Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) and CAIR are all celebrating their “decisive victory” while shielding the enemy.
🚨BREAKING FLORIDA – YOU ARE BEING CONQUERED!
OBAMA JUDGE JUST HANDCUFFED FLORIDA PATRIOTS AND IS FIGHTING WITH CAIR — WHO WILL FURTHER ISLAMIZE YOUR STATE? WHERE IS THE HELP FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?!
CAIR is LAUGHING AT AMERICA – THIS TAKEOVER IS EASY!
Obama-appointed… https://t.co/dL6aFQJY9D pic.twitter.com/5lqfwdw6MV
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) March 5, 2026
ABOUT THIS JUDGE: Mark Eaton Walker (born 1967) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He was nominated by president Barack Obama in February 2012 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2012 in a 94-0 vote.
A federal judge blocked @GovRonDeSantis from labeling @CAIRNational, a Muslim civil rights group, as a ‘terrorist organization,’ saying that the move violates the group’s protected free speech.https://t.co/xSR2BkvnXt
— Lauren Costantino (@misscostantino) March 5, 2026
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