Florida appellate courts block state efforts to curb transgender care and 'Stop WOKE' education law

A federal appeals court in Chicago cleared the way for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to proceed with a lawsuit against the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The suit alleges the AAP misled the public about the safety of gender‑affirming procedures for minors. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a prior injunction, allowing the case to move forward while the AAP continues its own appeal. Twenty‑one other state attorneys general have joined Florida in the action.

Separately, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower‑court ruling that struck down Florida's so‑called Stop WOKE Act. The three‑judge panel, authored by Judge Britt Grant and joined by Judge Charles Wilson, held that the law violates the First Amendment by restricting what professors may teach or discuss in public universities. The decision was framed as a protection for academic freedom and a rebuke of state attempts to control classroom speech.

Both rulings represent significant setbacks for the Florida state government’s recent attempts to limit transgender medical care for minors and to restrict content deemed "woke" in higher‑education curricula.