Ron DeSantis Scores Huge Victory in Disney Lawsuit Battle
Ron DeSantis's Parental Rights in Education Act, will now preside over the lawsuit Disney has filed against the Florida governor in a potential boost for the Republican.Winsor assumed the position after District Judge Mark E.
Walker, who had been presiding over the case, disqualified himself after learning a relative owned 30 shares in Disney stock.Disney claims DeSantis violated its First Amendment rights by retaliating after the company spoke out against the Florida governor's Parental Rights in Education Act— dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics—which bans "classroom discussion" in schools about sexual orientation or gender identity, up until a certain grade.DeSantis then removed the largely self-governing status Disney had enjoyed around its Florida parks and appointed his own oversight board.Last week, DeSantis announced he is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, with polling indicating he is GOP voters' second most favored candidate after Donald Trump.In February, Winsor rejected a lawsuit filed by a group of teachers, parents and students, who argued Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act was unconstitutional.In a 21-page ruling, he concluded: "Plaintiffs have shown a strident disagreement with the new law, and they have alleged facts to show its very existence causes them deep hurt and disappointment.
But to invoke a federal court's jurisdiction, they must allege more. Their failure to do so requires dismissal."The appointment of a judge who has previously ruled in DeSantis's favor, and who has been described as a "conservative ideologue" by a civil rights group, is likely to be privately welcomed by the Florida governor.Newsweek reached out to Disney and Governor DeSantis via email.
