Britt Grant

Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the 11th Circuit Court's 2-1 ruling blocking Florida's 'Stop WOKE Act,' calling it judicial overreach. The law prohibited teaching concepts like systemic racism in state universities, which DeSantis argued were ideological fads undermining academic missions. The court majority, including Trump appointee Britt Grant, ruled the law violated free speech, while dissenting judge Barbara Lagoa, also a Trump appointee, disagreed.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that Florida's Stop WOKE Act is unconstitutional, stating it violates academic freedom by restricting what professors can teach about identity-based topics. The law, which prohibited teaching concepts like Critical Race Theory, was struck down by a 2-1 panel, with judges Britt Grant and Charles Wilson affirming that students should be free to consider diverse viewpoints in classrooms.

Two cryptocurrency creators, Michael Kane (CEO of Hydrogen Technology) and Shane Hampton (head of engineering), are challenging their federal convictions in the 11th Circuit for securities fraud related to manipulating the price of Hydro cryptocurrency tokens using automated bots. They were convicted in 2024 of conspiring to commit securities price manipulation and wire fraud, with Kane receiving a three-year and nine-month sentence and Hampton a two-year and 11-month sentence.

A U.S. federal judge awarded $6.2 million to Irfan Khan, a Pakistani-born man who was wrongfully accused of terrorism and held in solitary confinement for nearly a year before charges were dropped. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is considering overturning the award, with two judges suggesting law enforcement should not be liable for a poorly conducted but not intentionally misleading investigation.