A federal court in Florida dismissed a challenge to the state’s “don’t say gay” law last week, but left open the possibility the case could be re-filed in the future. In a 25-page opinion issued last Thursday, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, found the plaintiffs Equality Florida, Family Equality, and a group of teachers, students, and parents had not established standing to file the case. Winsor said, “The principal problem is that most of plaintiffs’ alleged harm is not plausibly tied to the law’s enforcement so much as the law’s very existence.” He stated that no injunction issued by a court could resolve that issue. The plaintiffs could re-file the suit at a later time, but must first meet additional thresholds. The ruling came in response to motions filed by Equality Florida and Family Equality requesting discovery in the case filed in April. The court had prevented discovery, or the process of gathering information in the case via deposition and examination of evidence, saying the plaintiffs had yet to show they had the standing to file the case. The judge has given the groups 14 days to file a response to his decision.
