DeSantis’ Anti-Riot Law Bolstered by Florida Supreme Court (2)

A Florida law creating stiffer penalties for rioters doesn’t apply to protesters who are present but don’t participate in violence, the state’s high court said, siding with arguments made by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The opinion answered a certified question from the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The law is clear and “reveals one best meaning” when reading it, Florida Supreme Court Justice John D. Couriel wrote.

A peaceful protester, “under the most natural reading of the statute, is no rioter,” he said.

The civil-rights groups that challenged the law argued in state and federal courts that it’s ...