A federal judge on Monday turned down a request for an immediate injunction to stop Florida state officials from formally classifying the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a domestic terrorist organization, JNS reported.
CAIR and its regional chapter, CAIR-Florida, launched a federal lawsuit last week following an announcement by Governor Ron DeSantis that he intends to label the group under state law, alongside the Muslim Brotherhood.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs asserted that the state's action infringes upon their rights guaranteed under the First Amendment as well as the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. To halt the state from proceeding while the broader legal battle plays out, the advocacy groups sought an emergency temporary restraining order.
However, US District Judge Mark E. Walker rejected the emergency petition, stating in his ruling that he was “not persuaded that relief must be afforded before defendants are heard."
Responding to the court's decision on Tuesday, legal representatives for CAIR and CAIR-Florida submitted a formal motion asking Walker to review his decision. The emergency filing warned that the designation could become active as soon as July 8, an outcome the organizations argued would compel them to “shut down their operations in Florida and will substantially impair CAIR’s ability to pursue its mission nationwide."
DeSantis’ announcement followed an executive order he signed this past December designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations.
The December order came after Texas Governor Greg Abbott also designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.
Previously, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order beginning the official process to designate certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
In January, the United States designated the Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as specially designated global terrorists, citing their support for the Hamas terrorist organization.