Judges Skeptical Florida ‘Woke’ Ban Can Dodge Free Speech Claims

Florida’s defense of its “anti-woke” law restricting workplace diversity training met with skepticism from a panel of federal appellate judges, who questioned how attorneys for the state could consider the statute a limit on employers’ conduct rather than a restriction on speech.

Much of the 2022 Florida law has been blocked since last year when a federal judge issued a pair of injunctions and found that parts of the statute likely violate the First Amendment’s free speech protections.

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit heard oral arguments in Atlanta on Thursday in the state’s attempt to overturn ...