The Biden administration and President Joe Biden face an increasing number of legal challenges, to which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has just added a significant addition.

The administration of DeSantis, who is in second place behind former president and current Florida resident Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, has filed a lawsuit against the administration of Biden “to ensure freedom in higher education.”

In a press release, the popular Republican governor specifically criticized Biden’s Department of Education:

Florida has ranked first in the nation for higher education throughout Governor DeSantis’ administration, but the U.S. Department of Education has unconstitutionally collaborated with accreditation bodies to block the Governor’s efforts to increase transparency and accountability at public colleges and universities. This lawsuit seeks to revoke the authority of private, unaccountable accreditors to obstruct Florida’s higher education reforms.

“I will not allow Joe Biden’s Department of Education to defund America’s #1 higher education system all because we refuse to bow to unaccountable accreditors who think they should run Florida’s public universities,” said the governor, according to the release.

“Throughout my time in office, I have made it a priority to bring transparency and accountability to higher education and to reorient the mission of our colleges and universities away from purveying destructive ideologies and back toward the pursuit of truth and the preparation of our students for success,” he went on.

“The Biden administration’s attempts to block these reforms is an abuse of federal power, and with this lawsuit, we will ensure that Florida’s pursuit of educational excellence will continue,” he said.

Other Florida officials also expressed their opinions.

“For too long, private academic accreditors have been holding our colleges and universities hostage,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody, also a Republican.

“Thanks to the fearless leadership of Governor DeSantis, we are fighting to take back our public postsecondary education system from unelected private organizations that have no accountability or oversight,” she added.

Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, stated, “Governor DeSantis and I agree that the highest standards should be applied to a high-quality education. Therefore, the number one system of higher education in Florida must be permitted to choose the regional accrediting agency that aligns with our institutional objectives and meets these standards.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

“The University of Central Florida’s goal to become a preeminent university and join the American Association of Universities is better supported by joining The Higher Learning Commission,” noted Rodrigues. CONTINUE READING…