Two years ago, Florida became the center of widespread media attention with its enactment of a new law, which set out to curb training and teaching relating to inclusion, equity, and diversity (“IE&D”). Since then, there has...more
The Alabama Legislature has enacted 2024 Ala. Act 34, limiting the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts of state agencies, public universities, and public boards of education. The new law goes into effect Oct. 1,...more
Alabama has joined the growing list of states passing laws banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public institutions. On March 20, 2024, Governor Kay Ivey signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 129, a...more
On March 4, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit struck down a part of a politically charged Florida law known as the “Stop WOKE Act” that sought to restrict workplace training on certain diversity,...more
Based on First Amendment concerns, the Eleventh Circuit has blocked enforcement of provisions in Florida’s Stop WOKE Act that would restrict mandatory trainings endorsing DEI concepts. The Second Circuit has rejected a...more
Last week, three federal courts issued significant decisions impacting the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legal landscape. Together, the cases demonstrate the rapidly evolving state of the law with respect to DEI....more
In a strongly worded and unanimous opinion, a panel of judges from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Florida’s STOP W.O.K.E. Act is unconstitutional. The court noted that Florida’s defense of the law’s...more
Strike One… In 2021 Florida passed a unique law known as the Individual Freedom Act (IFA), or “Stop-WOKE” law (the state’s acronym for “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees”). The IFA contains two parts, one directed to...more
Florida District Court’s Preliminary Injunction Blocking The Stop Woke Act Affirmed By Appellate Court - On March 4, 2024, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s injunction, effectively blocking...more
A recent federal appeals court decision likely puts an end to a two-year battle impacting Florida employers and their workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion training. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on March...more
You may recall that in 2021 the State of Florida, in a much-publicized move, passed a law called the “Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” which banned Florida employers from mandating employee attendance to any training or instruction that...more
Governor Ron DeSantis made headlines in 2022 when he signed into law several bills intended to curb a “woke agenda” from “taking over our schools and workplaces.” One of these bills, Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employers...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Eleventh Circuit recently issued an opinion blocking the enforcement of Florida's "anti-woke" law. The Court struck down the law on the grounds that the law impermissibly infringes on employers' free...more
A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has upheld a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of Florida’s Individual Freedom Act. Honeyfund.Com Inc, et al. v. Governor, State of...more
On August 24, 2023, over a year after Florida’s Individual Freedom Act (IFA) (commonly referred to as the “Stop-W.O.K.E.” law) went into effect, and about one year after a Florida federal court partially enjoined the new law,...more
Many companies have invested in and prioritized diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives over the past several years. And for good reason: DEIA initiatives have been proven to improve employee...more
Florida’s most recent anti-“WOKE” legislation places diversity-related work and diversity-focused positions on state campuses under threat. House Bill 999 (Postsecondary Educational Institutions), which was approved in a...more
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a factsheet entitled “Diversity and Inclusion Activities Under Title VI,” clarifying that diversity, equity, and inclusion training “in most factual...more
The Cozen Lens- •After reaching the $31.4 trillion debt limit last week, the clock is ticking to find a path forward and avoid a default. But raising the debt limit today has become a broader partisan fight, which may...more
4:22-cv-304/324, 2022 WL 16985720 (N.D. Fla, 2022) - The Individual Freedom Act (IFA), otherwise known as the Stop WOKE Act, became law in April 2022 and banned professors at public institutions from endorsing certain...more
As we barrel into 2023, it is worth a look back at last year. Employment law issues in 2022 were diverse, ranging from federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates (yes, that was last year) to state laws on CBD and diversity and...more
On November 17, 2022, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida entered a temporary injunction against portions of Florida’s Individual Freedom Act that restricts how Florida’s...more
Florida has made national news in the employment law sphere over the past six months with the passage, implementation, and temporary enjoinment of HB7, also called the Individual Freedom Act or “Stop WOKE Act.” The Act, which...more
Two Florida employers and a diversity consultant (“Plaintiffs”) sued for an injunction to halt enforcement of the Individual Freedom Act (IFA), more colloquially known as the STOP WOKE Act. The IFA expanded the definition of...more
As the school year begins, a heightened focus has been placed on schools both nationally and at the local level. Schools are becoming the battlefield where some of the most high-profile cultural clashes occur, which means...more