Gov. Ron DeSantis declared earlier this year “Florida is where woke goes to die.”

But so far federal courts don’t agree and have blocked parts of his signature “Stop WOKE” law.

Last week a federal appeals court rejected Florida’s request to enforce the controversial legislation, which means parts of the law will remain blocked while lawsuits make their way through the courts.

Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker temporarily blocked some provisions in the law in November calling it “positively dystopian.” The law would restrict discussions of race, gender and inequality in public colleges and universities.

The law is known as the so-called Individual Freedom Act, but more commonly known as the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act.

The DeSantis administration appealed the ruling and asked the court to lift the injunction. The motion was denied by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on March 16.

“We reject this woke ideology. We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy. We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional. We will never surrender to the woke mob,” DeSantis said earlier this year.

In August, the American Civil Liberties Union, Legal Defense Fund and a national law firm filed a lawsuit against the law on behalf of a group of students and educators.

 “The court’s decision to leave in place the preliminary injunction is a recognition of the serious injury posed to educators and students by the Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” Leah Watson, an attorney with the ACLU, said in a press release. “All students and educators deserve to have a free and open exchange about issues related to race in our classrooms — not censored discussions that erases the history of discrimination and lived experiences of Black and Brown people, women and girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals.”

Jeremy Redfern, DeSantis’ deputy press secretary, said in a statement, he’s confident the court will uphold the law.

“The Court did not rule on the merits of our appeal,” he said. “The appeal is ongoing, and we remain confident that the law is constitutional.”

According to the LDF, “The law specifically targets and places vague restrictions on educators’ ability to teach and discuss concepts around the legacy of slavery in America, white privilege, and anti-racism.”

Additionally, the law imposes harsh penalties for educators who have been found to violate the law including termination or loss of state funding.

According to the LDF universities across Florida have canceled or scaled back diversity and inclusion training and have taken down statements denouncing racism.

“This creates a hostile climate that stigmatizes discussions about race on campuses and generates fear among plaintiffs and other Black educators and students who teach or take coursework that touch upon race and gender issues,” the LDF writes in a press release.