Federal Judge Blocks DeSantis From Labeling CAIR a Terrorist Group

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Florida from enforcing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a foreign terrorist group.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against the order while the matter is litigated in court, according to The Associated Press. He argued that the First Amendment prohibits the governor from perpetuating what he called a “troubling trend” of using executive power to make political statements against political opponents.

The judge also argued that DeSantis’ order likely usurps the federal government’s exclusive authority to designate terrorist organizations.

🚨VICTORY: we just won an a federal court order that blocks Florida Governor @RonDeSantis from enforcing his defamatory and unconstitutional proclamation targeting our civil rights organization.

As we warned @GovRonDeSantis, no politician has the right to unilaterally declare… pic.twitter.com/HuegReK17Z
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) March 4, 2026

DeSantis’ order instructed state agencies to deny contracts, employment, and funds to CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, and anyone who provides them with “material support” while the case proceeds.

In his ruling, Walker wrote, “the question before this Court is whether the Governor can, in a non-emergency situation, unilaterally designate one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in America as a ‘terrorist organization’ and withhold government benefits from anyone providing material support or resources to the group.”

A federal judge temporarily blocked Gov. Ron DeSantis' order labelling CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, saying it is unconstitutional under the First Amendment. https://t.co/omVgQfEkPO pic.twitter.com/1L8Bikncbe
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 5, 2026

CAIR has more than 20 chapters across the United States. The group focuses on legal action, advocacy, and outreach involving civil rights and religious liberty issues. However, the group has come under fire over the past two decades over its associations with radical Islamic extremist groups. It was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism-funding case.

CAIR, unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history, advised the Obama administration to purge training materials covering Islamic supremacist ideology -- blinding counter-terrorism officials to the jihadist threat.

The mosque where the New… pic.twitter.com/rSwLh8UCMm
— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) January 3, 2025

Also, some of the organization’s leaders have been investigated or charged in terrorism-related cases.

If Florida wins the case and the label remains, it would cut CAIR off from any formal relationship with Florida agencies. It could possibly deter private vendors, nonprofits, and local governments from associating with the group out of fear of losing state business or being accused of aided terrorists.