Media Roundup: Palestine Legal and ACLU file lawsuit challenging DeSantis' deactivation order against SJPs

On November 16th, the University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (UF SJP) filed a lawsuit challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. The lawsuit aims to protect UF students’ First Amendment right to free speech. UF SJP is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, and Palestine Legal.

Since October 7th, anti-Palestinian discrimination has skyrocketed across the United States and abroad, leaving many young Palestinians and allies vulnerable. Below is an abridged media roundup on the historic lawsuit in outlets including The New York Times, POLITICO, The New Republic, The Guardian, and Fast Company.

The New York Times

A.C.L.U. Sues DeSantis Over Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Campus Group

“The American Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal filed a federal lawsuit Thursday claiming that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida education officials violated the First Amendment when they ordered the removal of support for Students for Justice in Palestine, a campus activist group.

The order affected the group’s chapters at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida.

The order, which hasn’t been carried out, has already cast a ‘significant chill’ on the activities of the University of Florida’s chapter, ‘causing its Board and members to think twice before organizing and advocating for Palestine,’ the lawsuit stated.”

POLITICO

Pro-Palestinian student group in Florida sues DeSantis

“Brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the non-profit organization Palestine Legal on behalf of the students, the lawsuit targets a state university system memo ordering a ‘crack down’ on campus events led by organization that the DeSantis administration claims amount to ‘harmful support for terrorist groups’.”

The New Republic

Ron DeSantis’s Racism Just Won Him a Big Lawsuit in Florida

“A Palestinian student advocacy group is taking to the legal system to fight back against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s efforts to kick them off student campuses.

On Thursday, the University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine announced that it is suing DeSantis, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, University of Florida President Ben Sasse, and other university leaders for ‘violating their [First] Amendment rights,’ according to a statement by the nonprofit Palestine Legal.”

The Guardian

Pro-Palestinian student group sues DeSantis over ‘deactivation’

“UF SJP is represented in its legal action by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Florida, and Palestine Legal. The suit cites two US Supreme Court rulings as grounds for opposing the deactivation order.”

Fast Company

Palestinian protests are just the latest way Ron DeSantis is cracking down on free speech in Florida

“On October 26, DeSantis instructed Florida’s public universities to ban the SJP—one day after Randy Fine, a far-right Florida House member and the only Jewish state representative, publicly announced his switch of allegiance to Donald Trump after years of having ‘championed’ DeSantis, explicitly rebuking the governor for allowing what he called ‘anti-Semitic protests.’ At DeSantis’ behest, Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, sent out a memo instructing any campuses where SJP is active to disband their chapters. (They are active at two: University of Florida and University of South Florida.)

But opponents of the move say that student groups have the right to exist and exercise free speech on public campuses. ‘Officially trying to deactivate a student group because they don’t like their perspective…is a fundamental violation of the First Amendment,’ says Dima Khalidi, founder and director of Palestine Legal, an organization that protects the rights of people in the U.S. speaking up in favor of Palestinian freedom.”