US Muslim civil rights group CAIR sues Florida governor over ‘terrorism’ label

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the largest Muslim civil rights organisations in the United States, has filed a federal lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, challenging his decision to designate the group a “foreign terrorist organisation” over its advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Filed on Tuesday by CAIR and its Florida chapter, the lawsuit seeks to overturn DeSantis’s executive order, arguing that it violates constitutional protections for free speech and due process. The complaint states that the order cites no criminal charges, convictions, or federal terrorism designation, and instead relies on “political rhetoric” to impose severe legal consequences on a domestic civil rights organisation.

DeSantis issued the order last week, labelling CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as “terror” organisations.

CAIR argues that the move is politically motivated and aimed at suppressing pro-Palestinian advocacy, particularly as the group has challenged state actions against Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters.

“The Executive Order is self-executing, indefinite, and issued without procedural safeguards,” the lawsuit said, adding that only the US secretary of state has the legal authority to designate a group as a foreign terrorist organisation.

CAIR also pointed to comments made by DeSantis welcoming legal action, saying the state would gain “discovery rights” to subpoena the group’s bank records. These remarks, the lawsuit argues, confirm the intent to intimidate and deter lawful advocacy rather than serve any legitimate state interest.

CAIR deputy director Edward Ahmed Mitchell called the governor’s actions “blatantly unconstitutional,” saying DeSantis bypassed due process because there is no evidence of wrongdoing. “If you want to punish an organisation, you present evidence in court. That never happened here,” Mitchell said.

The Florida order follows a similar designation by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which CAIR is also contesting in court. Meanwhile, US Senator John Cornyn of Texas has called for revoking CAIR’s tax-exempt status, repeating long-standing, unsubstantiated claims that the group seeks to impose Islamic law in the US.

Mitchell dismissed those allegations as baseless and politically motivated, stressing that CAIR is a law-abiding organisation. “This conspiracy theory has no basis in reality,” he said, adding that such claims only fuel anti-Muslim bigotry amid a broader rise in Islamophobia across the country.