Andrew Gordon, left, and Lauren Swanson, right, of Hinshaw & Culbertson. Courtesy photos Andrew Gordon, left, and Lauren Swanson, right, of Hinshaw & Culbertson. Courtesy photos

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently upheld a lower court's preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of a key provision contained in Florida's Individual Freedom Act. The Individual Freedom Act, more commonly known as the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act," was passed in 2022 as part of what supporters believe to be an initiative to protect employees against a hostile work environment due to critical race theory training. It expanded Florida's anti-discrimination laws to prohibit workplace trainings endorsing certain beliefs relating to race, color, sex, and national origin on the basis that such trainings constitute unlawful discrimination. The mandatory meeting provision of the act was only in place for seven weeks before a preliminary injunction was issued preventing its enforcement. Now, with the Eleventh Circuit's ruling, Florida employers are permitted to continue conducting their mandatory workplace trainings without regard to the act.