Florida Republicans bet Sharia law fearmongering can distract from constitutional violations
Published
April 17, 2026 6:30AM (EDT)
Ahead of today's nationwide scheduled protests, Gov. Ron DeSantis reminds Florida drivers that it's legal to drive through crowds of protesters if they fear for their lives. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking unprecedented steps to invoke national security on the state level to designate local groups as terrorist organizations — a move directly aimed at Muslim advocacy civil rights groups and pro-Palestinian activists. The problem, at least for Republicans in Florida, is that their new policy is in conflict with the First Amendment.
