Judge Dismisses Disney's Lawsuit Accusing DeSantis of Government Retaliation

A federal judge dismissed Disney’s free-speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Disney is appealing the decision.

For Context: Disney accused DeSantis of retaliation after the company spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which limits classroom discussions on issues of sexuality. The feud escalated, triggered a chain of events that led to that creation of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to replace the existing board which had oversight over Disney’s area. The board members were handpicked by the state legislature, and Disney argued the Oversight District was a retaliation for Disney’s criticism of state policy. 

Key Quotes: The Judge ruled that Disney “lacks standing to sue the Governor or the Secretary” and rejected Disney’s claim regarding the Oversight district, stating, “When a statute is facially constitutional, a plaintiff cannot bring a free-speech challenge by claiming that the lawmakers who passed it acted with a constitutionally impermissible purpose.” A Disney spokesperson said, “If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case.”

How The Media Covered It: The ruling was covered moderately across the spectrum and deemed a victory for DeSantis. Bloomberg (Lean Left bias) labeled the dispute “political fodder” for DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign. The National Review (Right bias) stated that DeSantis targeted Disney for its “role in promoting sexualized material for children’s consumption.”

This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.