TAMPA, Fla. — Akeel & Valentine, CAIR Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF), the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced the filing of a federal lawsuit suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The organizations said they are suing DeSantis for a "blatantly unconstitutional" executive order targeting the Council on American-Islamic Relations and its Florida chapter, CAIR-Florida.
The lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Florida argues DeSantis violated the Constitution and exceeded his legal authority.
Watch report from Mary O'Connell
“We are confident that the courts will once again affirm that you do not defeat civil rights by defaming those who defend them," said Hiba Rahim, the interim Executive Director at CAIR-Florida.
READ THE LAWSUIT HERE
CAIR v DeSantis Complaint by Tampa Bay 28
CAIR, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has operated for nearly 25 years, is one of the largest Muslim civil rights organizations in the country, working to defend victims of discrimination.
The Governor designated the nonprofit as a "terrorist organization" through an executive order on Dec. 8.
The announcement, made through posts on the Governor’s official Facebook and X accounts, said: "Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support."
“What we’re seeing already is what the intent of this executive order was for," said Thania Diaz Clevenger, the Chief Operating Officer for CAIR national. "The intent of this executive order is to cause a chilling effect.”
Rahim said the order doesn't present facts, cite investigations, or point to any criminal findings.
"It simply declares guilt by proclamation," said Rahim. "It does not matter whether you agree or disagree with our policies or our advocacy. What should concern every American is the implication of allowing a government official to apply criminal designations without due process.”
The filed court documents said CAIR has publicly condemned all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
DeSantis responded last week by saying he welcomes the legal challenge.
"I think you're going to see statutory codification of how we handle different terror designations, but I welcome the lawsuit because what will happen is that will give the state of Florida discovery rights to be able to subpoena the bank records," DeSantis said.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Mary O'Connell reached out again to the Governor's Office on Tuesday, who directed us to previous statements the Governor has made on social media.
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