Judge Dismisses Disney's Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis

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Image copyright: Joe Raedle/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The 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.

  • 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.

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The Spin

Democratic narrative

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.

New York Times

Republican narrative

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.

Breitbart

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