Judge blocks Florida governor from labelling Cair a terrorist organisation

Judge blocks Florida governor from labelling Cair a terrorist organisation Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 03/05/2026 - 17:32 Such a move infringes on a US-based group's ability to exercise its rights, the judge said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, left, and US President Donald Trump speak to reporters outside the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on 1 July 2025 (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP) Off A federal judge has decided that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cannot unilaterally designate the largest Muslim-American civil rights organisation as a "terrorist" group because it infringes on First Amendment rights. The temporary injunction on Wednesday blocks DeSantis's executive order signed in December , designating the Council on American Islamic Relations (Cair) as a terrorist organisation, and opening up a potential pathway for state prosecutions of anyone believed to be supporting them. “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,” judge Mark Walker wrote in his order.