Florida judge on First Amendment

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Florida's surgeon general, prohibiting the state from threatening television stations with prosecution for airing ads supporting Amendment 4, which aims to repeal the state's six-week abortion ban. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker emphasized the First Amendment's protection of political speech in his ruling, stating that the state's claims about the ads being false do not justify censorship. The ads feature a woman highlighting the life-threatening implications of the abortion ban, which the state labeled as a 'sanitary nuisance.' The judge's ruling halts the DeSantis administration's attempts to intimidate broadcasters until a preliminary injunction hearing on October 29. The state's health department had previously warned that airing the ads could result in criminal charges, a move criticized as unconstitutional coercion. The situation reflects ongoing tensions surrounding reproductive rights in Florida ahead of the November ballot referendum.