Judge Dismisses Disney's Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis

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Facts

• A federal judge has dismissed Walt Disney Parks and Resorts' lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other GOP lawmakers, ruling that the plaintiff lacked standing to sue the governor and his oversight board.¹
• Disney had filed a First Amendment federal lawsuit in 2023 after Florida's legislature dissolved its self-governing status of a special tax district and gave its control to the DeSantis-appointed board.²
• The entertainment giant claimed the defendants had retaliated against it for exercising its right to free speech and criticizing DeSantis-backed legislation, which sought to limit discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms.³
• However, Judge Allen Winsor, a Trump nominee, dismissed Disney's free speech claims, stating a law can't be ruled unconstitutional based on the subjective 'illegitimate motivation' of the lawmakers who passed it.⁴
• Judge Winsor also ruled that the company not only failed to establish that DeSantis has 'actual control' over the newly formed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District but also 'struggled to articulate an injury' caused by the state's Secretary of Commerce.⁵
• Meanwhile, Disney has indicated it may appeal Wednesday's ruling, arguing Judge Winsor's decision would 'give license to states to weaponize their official powers.'⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²NPR Online News, ³USA Today, ⁴BBC News, ⁵Reuters and ⁶The Daily Beast.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Times. It's clear that DeSantis and his allies had teamed up to violate Disney's First Amendment right to free speech, threaten its business, and hurt it financially for its criticism of GOP lawmakers' regressive and reactionary 'Don't Say Gay' law. This ruling sets a dangerous precedent and opens up the floodgates for speech suppression.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The state law stripping Disney of more than five decades of autonomy over the special development district wasn't unconstitutional. Disney may own the land in the district but doesn't have a right to run its own government, make decisions without consulting with state officials, or be placed above the law. Disney's woke agenda just didn't fly here.

Predictions