CAIR suspends Florida operations after judge declines to block domestic terrorist designation
Ruling allows designation to take effect while legal challenge continues; judge grants limited relief on legal services
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Florida chapter have suspended operations in the state after a federal judge rejected an emergency request to block Florida's designation of the groups as domestic terrorist organizations. The ruling, issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor in the Northern District of Florida, allows the designation to take effect while a lawsuit challenging the law proceeds. The judge did issue a narrow form of preliminary relief, barring Florida prosecutors from enforcing the law against CAIR, CAIR Florida, their employees or third parties with respect to the provision of legal services to the groups.