Court Blocks Mississippi’s Ban on Teaching DEI Concepts (1)

A Mississippi law that prohibits schools from teaching “divisive concepts” likely violates the First Amendment and must be temporarily blocked, a federal court said.

The plaintiffs, who include the Mississippi Association of Educators, showed that HB 1193 is likely a content and viewpoint restriction on protected speech that violates students’ right to receive information, Judge Henry T. Wingate said July 20 for the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

The plaintiffs also showed that the law—which doesn’t precisely define “divisive concepts,” “race or sex stereotyping,” “race or sex scapegoating,” “gender identity,” and “critical race theory”—is unconstitutionally vague, ...