Florida Appeals Court Halts Enforcement of Chinese Citizen Property Ban

A U.S. appeals court blocked Florida from enforcing a ban on Chinese citizens owning homes or land in the state against two Chinese nationals who were in the process of buying property when the law was adopted. The court found that the plaintiffs had a strong case in arguing that the law conflicted with federal statutes. The law, SB 264, was temporarily halted for the two individual plaintiffs, Yifan Shen and Zhiming Xu, to prevent imminent harm until the court reaches a final decision on the matter. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) played a key role in challenging the law, arguing that it violated constitutional equal protection and due process guarantees. The ruling has broader implications for other states considering similar restrictions on property ownership by Chinese citizens.