The FAMU underfunding lawsuit just got a second life, and this time Florida can’t make it disappear with a procedural move.
On June 9, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit revived a lawsuit alleging that the State of Florida underfunded Florida A&M University by nearly $2 billion over three decades. In a split decision, the court ruled that a lower court dismissed the case too quickly — before the students behind it ever got a real chance to present their evidence. Now they will.
This is not a final verdict. But it is a significant win. And for the FAMU community and HBCU advocates nationwide, it sends a message that these claims are serious enough to survive in federal court.
What the Lawsuit Actually Claims
A group of current and former FAMU students originally filed the lawsuit in 2022. Their argument is direct: Florida has chronically underfunded its only public HBCU compared to predominantly white institutions like the University of Florida and Florida State University. That disparity, they argue, isn’t accidental. It traces directly to the state’s former system of legally enforced racial segregation in higher education…