Federal Lawsuit Filed Challenging Florida’s “Anti-Riot” Law
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando by attorney Shannon Ligon and Attorney Aaron Carter Bates on behalf of the Lawyers Matter Task Force, a nonprofit advocacy group.
The suit claims that the law, signed by DeSantis on Monday, violates several provisions of the U.S. Constitution.
“The purpose of these laws are nothing more than an attempt to silence the Black Lives Matter movement and other civil organizations by limiting the ability to protest,” Bates said in a statement. “The First Amendment is a pillar of American democracy, and the ‘anti-riot’ laws clearly strip Floridians of their freedom of speech and right to assemble.”
A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said “as it relates to Sheriff Mina, this lawsuit is without merit … Accordingly, we intend to file a motion to dismiss.”
A spokesman for DeSantis said the governor’s office had not yet been served with the suit, “but we will firmly defend the legal merits of [the bill], which protects businesses, supports law enforcement, and ensures punishment for those who cause violence in our communities.”
Moody’s office said it couldn’t comment on pending litigation.
DeSantis on called the law “the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country” that would protect law enforcement and private property against rioters.
But Democrats and civil rights groups have criticized the law for infringing on the First Amendment’s right to peacefully protest. The ACLU claimed the law was “overbroad and vague” and would make it easier for law enforcement to charge organizers and anyone involved in a protest, even if they had not engaged in any violence.
