A federal judge has held Florida’s attorney general in civil contempt of a court order that barred the attorney general, state attorneys, police officers and their agents from enforcing a new law criminalizing the entry of undocumented aliens into the state.

The finding by Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida was issued June 17 in the case of Florida Immigrant Coalition, et al. v. James Uthmeier et al. It follows Williams’ decision siding with plaintiffs that put in place a temporary restraining order (TRO) enjoining defendant Uthmeier and other officers and agents in Florida from enforcing the provisions of Senate Bill 4-C. That measure provides criminal penalties for adult undocumented immigrants who enter, or attempt to enter, Florida.

“The court finds that Uthmeier is in civil contempt of the court’s April 18, 2025, order that defendants shall ‘provide actual notice of the TRO’ to all law enforcement officer(s) with power to enforce (SB) 4-C,” Williams said in her June 17 order.

The Florida Bar reported it has not received any complaints about Uthmeier’s conduct in the wake of the contempt finding. The Florida Bar previously received complaints about the conduct of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is a member of the Florida Bar, but the bar said it would not be able to investigate those claims while Bondi was in office.

“Although active discipline cases are by default confidential, we can confirm or deny cases if details of the complaint are provided,” the Florida Bar’s spokeswoman, Jennifer Krell Davis, told the Florida Record in an email. “Therefore, I can tell you that we do not have any complaints regarding the matter (of the contempt finding against Uthmeier).”

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