A coalition of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit against Florida officials on Wednesday, contesting the constitutionality of the state’s newly enacted “domestic terrorist organization” designation regime shortly after Governor Ron DeSantis announced his intention to apply the label to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The lawsuit, CAIR-Foundation, Inc. v. DeSantis, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Florida, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Akeel & Valentine, PLC, and Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP. The complaint names Governor DeSantis, Florida Chief of Domestic Security Mark Glass, the members of the Florida Cabinet, and the state’s 20 state attorneys as defendants.
The litigation centers on HB 1471 and HB 1473, a pair of laws passed during the 2026 legislative session that took effect on July 1. The statutory framework grants the state executive branch the authority to designate domestic groups as terrorist entities if the Chief of Domestic Security finds they meet specific criteria, including involvement in “terrorist activity” as defined by state law. To become effective, a designation must be ratified by a majority vote of the Florida Cabinet.
At a Wednesday press conference, DeSantis announced his intent to designate CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, and antifa under the new statute, adding that he expects an emergency Cabinet meeting will be called quickly to review and vote on the recommendations.
The plaintiffs argue that the newly established process lacks sufficient constitutional safeguards. According to the complaint, the statute allows state officials to impose a highly stigmatizing label and trigger severe legal penalties without providing targeted groups with meaningful advance notice, an evidentiary standard of proof, or a pre-deprivation hearing before a neutral decisionmaker.
“The Constitution does not allow elected officials to punish American nonprofits and deny them the fundamentals of due process because of disagreement with their views,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, in a statement accompanying the filing.
The lawsuit asserts that a formal designation would effectively freeze the operations of CAIR and CAIR-Florida within the state. Under the regime, designated groups are classified as criminal gangs, making it a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison for any individual or entity to knowingly provide them with “material support or resources.” The plaintiffs state this definition is broad enough to criminalize standard administrative functions, commercial banking, leasing office space, and volunteer work. Furthermore, they argue the law violates the right to counsel, as it contains no explicit exemption for attorneys providing legal representation to a designated group.
State officials maintain that the law is a necessary measure designed to identify and counter security threats operating within the state. In an interview on Wednesday, Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that the law provides an important proactive mechanism to investigate non-profit entities and schools that may have ties to foreign or domestic terrorist organizations. During the governor’s press conference, statewide prosecutor Brad McVay affirmed the state’s position, stating, “We stand here committed to prosecute any individual or group associated with terrorist activity.”
The new statutory regime follows a prior legal dispute between the governor and the civil rights organization. In December 2025, DeSantis issued an executive order attempting to apply a terrorist designation to CAIR. In March 2026, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of that order, ruling it likely violated the First Amendment. During spring committee debates, legislative sponsors of HB 1471 noted that the bill was designed to establish a formalized administrative process in the wake of that injunction.
In the complaint, CAIR and CAIR-Florida state that they are faith-driven, 501(c)(3) civil rights organizations that engage exclusively in lawful advocacy, such as community education, voter registration, and legal representation in discrimination and immigration matters. They emphasize that neither organization has ever been charged with or convicted of a crime, nor have they been designated under federal terrorism sanctions.
“Throughout CAIR’s long history, our civil rights organization has worked to protect the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech, religious freedom and equality under the law,” CAIR’s national headquarters said in a statement. “We look forward to fighting these baseless attacks in court and proving once again that the Constitution is stronger than any politician’s bigotry.”
The plaintiffs are seeking a federal court declaration that the designation regime violates the speech, association, and petition clauses of the First Amendment, as well as the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, alongside a permanent injunction against its enforcement.
READ: DeSantis Names CAIR And Antifa In Day-One Terrorist Blacklist Under New Florida Law
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