TAMPA—Leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Florida chapter gathered at their headquarters on Tuesday to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, challenging his recent executive order that labeled the organization a terrorist group.
The suit, filed Monday, December 15, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, seeks to block the order and have it declared unconstitutional. It argues that DeSantis lacks the authority to designate domestic groups as terrorists — a power reserved for the U.S. Secretary of State — and that the measure violates First Amendment protections by punishing the group’s advocacy.
DeSantis issued the executive order earlier this month, designating the Washington-based CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. The directive instructs state agencies to withhold resources, contracts, or privileges from the groups and anyone providing them support. It also calls on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol to monitor them.
“This executive order does not present facts. It does not cite investigations,” Hiba Rahim, interim executive director of CAIR-Florida said. “It does not point to any criminal findings. It simply declares guilt by proclamation.”
Joining the suit are the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Muslim Legal Fund of America. It requests the order be voided and attorneys’ fees awarded but seeks no monetary damages.
Florida joined Texas as the second state to designate both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. President Donald J Trump designated chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations on November 24, 2025.
Author: Mario Lotmore
