FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A federal judge on Thursday blocked Florida from enforcing a new state law that limits how private companies teach diversity and inclusion in the workplace, saying the measure violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression.

In a ruling that took aim at one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s top priorities, U.S. District Court Judge Mark E. Walker said Florida has turned “the First Amendment upside down” by trying to regulate how employers train employees on topics such as racial inclusion and gender equity.

“Normally, the First Amendment bars the state from burdening speech, while private actors may burden speech freely,” Walker wrote, comparing the state to the television series “Stranger Things.” “But in Florida, the First Amendment apparently bars private actors from burdening speech, while the state may burden speech freely.”

Walker’s ruling blocks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) and state regulators from enforcing a key provision of the “Stop Woke Act,” which the Republican-controlled legislature approved in March. DeSantis, a possible candidate for president in 2024, frequently touts the measure during political speeches in front of conservative audiences.

The “Stop Woke Act,” also referred to in court filings as the “Individual Freedom Measure,” prohibits trainings in public schools, colleges and universities, and workplaces that may cause someone to feel guilty or ashamed about the past collective...

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