On November 12, 2026, the Knight Institute and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed an amicus brief in CAIR Foundation v. DeSantis, a challenge to Florida’s “domestic terrorist organization” designation regime.

On September 29, 2026, Florida officials designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)—the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization—and its Florida chapter as “domestic terrorist organizations.” The designations effectively bar the organizations from operating in the state and severely burden the ability of Floridians to speak to and associate with them.

The Institute’s amicus brief argues that Florida’s designation regime is unconstitutional because it grants state officials nearly unfettered discretion to designate organizations they disfavor and because it severely burdens the First Amendment rights of designated organizations and the Floridians who wish to engage with them. The brief explains that upholding the regime would set a dangerous precedent for other states to follow, paving the way for new campaigns of political retribution and threatening all organizations that are politically unpopular.
 
The Institute also filed an amicus brief in a separate lawsuit filed by CAIR challenging a Florida executive order designating CAIR and CAIR-Florida as “terrorist organizations.” 

Status: Briefing in the Eleventh Circuit ongoing on the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction pending appeal.

Case Information: CAIR Foundation, Inc. v. DeSantis, No. 26-14146 (11th Cir.).