Overview

• A divided 2-1 panel overturned a preliminary injunction for Hillsborough County teacher Katie Wood, ruling her preferred pronoun use fell under her official duties.
• The majority held that addressing students with chosen pronouns constitutes government speech and is therefore subject to state regulation.
• In dissent, Judge Adalberto Jordan cautioned that the expansive government speech doctrine could erode First Amendment protections in schools.
• With the injunction vacated, Florida schools now face potential fines and teacher certification revocations for failing to use birth-assigned pronouns.
• Legal observers warn the decision may influence challenges to similar anti-transgender measures in other states.