December 16, 2025 – Today, Akeel & Valentine, CAIR Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF), the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced the filing of a federal lawsuit challenging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ “blatantly unconstitutional” executive order targeting the Council on American-Islamic Relations, America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its Florida chapter, CAIR-Florida.
In a statement, Muslim Legal Fund of America Legal Director Marium Uddin said:
“MLFA is proud to once again confront another rogue governor’s lawless attempt to silence CAIR and the broader American Muslim community due to their activism. Just as racist governors once targeted the NAACP using baseless witch hunts, illegal executive orders and bigoted conspiracy theories because of its successful advocacy of civil rights for Black Americans, Governor DeSantis targets CAIR today with this illegal executive order because of its successful advocacy for civil rights for American Muslims. MLFA is committed to working with our partners to ensure that Governor DeSantis, like the bigoted governors of 1960s before him, ultimately fails.”
On December 8, 2025, Governor Ronald DeSantis issued Executive Order 25-244 (“EO”), which purports to unilaterally designate America’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a “terrorist organization.”
The order directs Florida’s executive and cabinet agencies, as well as counties and municipalities, to deny local or state contracts, employment, funding, benefits, and privileges to CAIR and anyone known to provide “material support” to CAIR, including “expert advice or assistance.” The order also directs Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol to pursue unspecified “measures” against unspecified CAIR.
The lawsuit filed today in the Northern District of Florida argues that DeSantis has violated the Constitution of the United States and otherwise exceeded his legal authority. Among other violations, the lawsuit specifically contends that that DeSantis has:
- illegally usurped the exclusive authority of the federal government to designate American organizations as terrorist groups based on allegations of material support for foreign terrorist groups.
- violated the Constitution’s guarantee of due process by unilaterally designating CAIR a criminal actor and then ordering immediate punitive, discriminatory action against CAIR and its supporters without any chance to appeal that punishment or designation.
- violated the Constitution’s guarantee of free speech by punishing Americans who seek to provide CAIR with material support, including speech in the form “assistance” and “advice,” and retaliating against CAIR for speech he finds objectionable, including the organization’s past lawsuit against him and its activism in support of Palestinian human rights.
MEDIA ADVISORY: On December 16 at 11:30 am ET, attorneys representing CAIR LDF, MLFA, SPLC, and Akeel & Valentine plan to hold a virtual media availability for reporters to discuss the lawsuit in detail and answer questions. Reporters may contact CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper (202-744-7726, [email protected]) for an access link.
