Judge: No state-paid trips to terrorist nations

Judge: No state-paid trips to terrorist nations
ACLU rebuffed in attempt to open up travel to Cuba, 4 other restricted countries

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.