In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed SB 266, which bans the funding of expression that “[a]dvocate[s] for diversity, equity, and inclusion, or promote[s] . . . political or social activism,” and restricts the viewpoints that can be taught in general education courses. Through the regulations implementing SB 266, the state has stripped hundreds of university courses of their general education status, including courses that historically have been designated as general education. Florida’s public universities also have denied scholarship and research funding to faculty and students that had been approved in the past, and have cut funding for initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. On behalf of educators and the broader university community, the ACLU of Florida and co-counsel filed a federal lawsuit on January 16, 2025, contending that SB 266 violates First Amendment protections by compelling viewpoint-based censorship and undermining the free exchange of ideas in public universities. Our motion for preliminary injunction was filed on January 27. A hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction will take place in Tallahassee on March 31.
