Florida's designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Florida chapter as domestic terrorist organizations is now in force, after Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor refused to block it while the organizations' constitutional lawsuit continues — and CAIR-Florida has suspended its operations across the state in response.

Source: Matzav.com

In a 36-page decision issued on Wednesday, November 4, Judge Winsor ruled that CAIR had not demonstrated sufficient grounds for an emergency order preventing Florida from enforcing the designation. The judge made clear that he was not determining whether CAIR actually qualifies as a terrorist organization; his decision concerned only whether the organization had satisfied the legal requirements for temporarily blocking the state's action while the lawsuit moves forward.

The ruling did give CAIR one narrower form of temporary protection: Judge Winsor prohibited state authorities from prosecuting the organization, its employees, or third parties furnishing legal services under Florida's material-support statute, subject to CAIR posting a $1,000 bond. He also directed both sides to submit a proposed schedule for the continuing litigation by November 18, leaving the broader constitutional challenge unresolved even as the designation remains in force.

What the designation does under Florida law

The designations were approved on September 29 by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet under House Bill 1471, the state's new terrorist-organization law, which took effect on July 1. The classifications were published in the Florida Administrative Register on October 6, starting a 30-day period before they became legally effective on November 5. The same September 29 vote also classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a domestic terrorist organization and placed more than 90 additional organizations on Florida's list of foreign terrorist groups, according to reporting on the ruling.

Under the new law, a designated organization can be barred from receiving government funding or entering into public contracts, government institutions are restricted from providing resources that support or promote designated groups, and individuals who knowingly furnish prohibited material assistance may face criminal charges. The law also establishes a mechanism through which a designated organization could potentially be dissolved.

CAIR-Florida said its activities and funding in Florida have been suspended indefinitely, although its federal lawsuit remains active. A notice announcing the suspension was posted on the entrance of its Tampa headquarters on Thursday, and the organization stopped accepting donations from people living or located in Florida and directed people seeking assistance to other organizations.

Two sharply different accounts — both still before the court

Florida's case rests on allegations, which CAIR denies. In an October 12 court filing, the state alleged that CAIR operated as a front for Hamas, and at an October 28 hearing the state's attorney, Charles Cooper, described CAIR as what the state alleges is Hamas's largest charitable front. Florida authorities have alleged that CAIR maintained connections to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. None of those allegations was decided by Judge Winsor's emergency ruling.

CAIR and CAIR-Florida, whose lawyers include attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, contend in their lawsuit that the designation framework violates free-speech, association and due-process protections and could be used against organizations because of their political positions. Judge Winsor noted in his decision that CAIR had an opportunity to challenge the designation in Florida state court during the 30-day period before it took effect but chose not to pursue that option, and he cited that available appeal process as an important reason for rejecting the organization's claim that it had been denied adequate procedural protections.

Governor DeSantis praised the outcome, declaring, "Florida is holding CAIR accountable." Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote on X on November 5: "This morning, a federal court upheld Florida's Domestic Terrorist Organization law and rejected CAIR's attempt to stop the designations," and called it a "great win by our solicitor general's office and for the people of Florida!"

How Florida got here — and the parallel fights in Texas and Washington

This was the state's second attempt. Governor DeSantis first sought to designate CAIR through an executive order issued in December 2025; a federal judge blocked enforcement of that order in March, finding that the governor could not unilaterally impose the classification and its penalties without the necessary legal authority. The legislature then created the statutory designation process in House Bill 1471, and the state used that process for the September 29 vote.

Florida's actions parallel those of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations, a measure that included restrictions on land acquisition by the organizations and their affiliates. At the federal level, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to examine whether certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood should be classified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, and in January the United States formally imposed terrorism-related designations on the Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, citing their alleged support for Hamas.

What happens next

The designation stays in force while the case proceeds on the schedule the parties must propose by November 18. The court has not ruled on the underlying constitutional claims, and further motions or an appeal remain possible. For Florida's Muslim residents — including South Asian and Punjabi Muslim families in the Tampa, Orlando and South Florida areas who have used CAIR-Florida for civil-rights complaints and legal referrals — the immediate practical effect is that the chapter's offices are closed and its intake is suspended, and it is directing people to other organizations while the litigation continues.