By Michael Moline | Editor in Chief
“In short, when all is said and done, and for at least sixty years, the standard has been the same: student speech cannot be curtailed unless it materially disrupts the educational mission or involves substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others.” — Jacqueline Becerra, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
ICEBreakers protest during a Florida International University event. (Via ACLU)
The ruling came Sunday, less than two weeks before a university-imposed deadline for the students to make a “video reflection” on the no-indoor-demonstrations policy that prohibited their protest, and less than two weeks after they filed suit, Jay Waagmeester writes. Judge Becerra found a substantial likelihood the students, members of a group called ICEBreakers, would succeed on the merits, the standard for a preliminary injunction. They staged a silent protest during a campus event to protest the university’s enforcement agreement with ICE.
The DeSantis administration first rolled out the idea a year ago, even holding a formal public discussion, but instead of proceeding turned to the Legislature to erase mandatory vaccines for school attendance statutorily. But the Legislature didn’t oblige. Opponents could haul the new proposal before an administrative judge, but those proceedings can drag for months — unless the governor decides to grease the skids as his term winds down.
The governor sounds less certain than before that his gerrymander will produce the four-seat gain it was designed to accomplish. Bear in mind that Donald Trump’s standing has collapsed. “You’re seeing it in numbers, and when you do these midterms, it’s not necessarily just about local,” the governor said. “It can be, but a lot of times it can be nationalized. And if there’s a certain mood in the country, that can be something that you have to combat.”
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