Judge Denies Challenge On Academic Travel To Cuba

Feb 2, 2007 7:48 pm US/Eastern
Judge Denies Challenge On Academic Travel To Cuba

(CBS4) DOWNTOWN MIAMI A federal judge on Friday denied a challenge from
the American Civil Liberties Union of a Florida law banning state-paid
travel by students, professors and researchers to Cuba and four other
nations labeled terrorist states by the U.S. government.

In his two-sentence ruling, U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan turned
down the ACLU's effort to stop enforcement of the law. Jordan said a
detailed order would follow on Feb. 9.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Florida International
University Faculty Senate, which contended the law violates First
Amendment rights and impinges on the federal government's powers to
regulate foreign commerce.

Brandon Hensler, a spokesman for the ACLU of Florida, said the
organization would have to wait to determine its legal options pending
Adalberto's final order.

"I still think this was regrettable decision by the Legislature to
further close off these countries to the free market of ideas," he said.

The measure, signed into law May 30 by then-Gov. Jeb Bush, prohibits
professors, students and researchers from using money administered by a
public university or college -- federal or state funds and even private
foundation grants -- to travel to any country listed as a terrorist
state by the U.S. State Department. Besides Cuba, the list includes
Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.

Private universities in Florida are also prohibited from using state
funds for travel to the named countries.

The measure was pushed through state Legislature after an FIU psychology
professor, Carlos Alvarez, and his wife Elsa -- a social work
coordinator at FIU -- were indicted on charges of acting as illegal
agents of the Cuban government.

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