Florida governor signs 'terrorist' designation law,

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure that gave him and other state officials the power to designate groups as "terrorist organizations" and expel students who support them, with rights groups saying the law will chill free speech.



The law empowers the state's chief of domestic security, governor and cabinet to designate any organization they determine engages in extremist acts as a "terrorist organization."



After such a designation, the group can be forcibly dissolved and face a freeze on state funding, according to the legislation. It also says that students shall be expelled from their institution if they "promoted a domestic terrorist organization or a foreign terrorist organization."



DeSantis, a Republican, signed the law on Monday.



The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the country's most prominent Muslim rights groups, called the law "draconian" and unconstitutional in a Monday statement.



Late last year, DeSantis signed an executive order designating CAIR as a "foreign terrorist organization." CAIR sued over the designation and a judge eventually blocked the order.



Free speech group PEN America says the measure signed by DeSantis "could chill free speech by placing unprecedented pressure on individuals to avoid speaking, organizing, or engaging with certain viewpoints."