A federal appeals court permanently blocked Florida’s “Stop WOKE” restrictions for colleges, rejecting the state’s attempt to curtail how faculty can discuss race, gender, and related topics in higher education. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court injunction against enforcing the law at colleges, with the court saying the First Amendment puts the issue of classroom ideas on students rather than the state. The decision means colleges can continue operating under existing constitutional protections despite the 2022 law that also targeted K-12 schools and state employers. In the ruling, judges said Florida’s reasoning—treating classroom instruction as government speech—failed to justify what would amount to a broad speech ban for public-university faculty. The case was supported by faculty, students, and legal groups, including the ACLU of Florida and the Legal Defense Fund, and one challenge involved faculty and students at the University of Florida represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. For institutional leaders, the ruling reduces legal risk for academic freedom and classroom discussion, while also preserving ongoing debate over the law’s reach in other education sectors and enforcement posture by the state.