11th Circuit Keeps Florida's Race-Speech Ban Out Of College Classrooms
Judges Grant and Wilson outvoted Lagoa 2-1; the law had threatened noncompliant universities with $73 million in lost state funding.
- The Individual Freedom Act bars professors from endorsing eight concepts on race, sex and merit.
- University of South Florida risked $73 million, about 15% of its 2021-2022 funding.
- Judge Lagoa's dissent says the state's classroom authority is 'at its zenith,' citing Bishop v. Aronov.
Why it matters: Three appellate judges, not Florida's elected legislature, now decide what a lecture may endorse.
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, opinion in Pernell v. Lamb (Nos. 22-13992, 22-13994) ↗ · Jul 17, 20267/17/26 · ✓ Checked✓ Check