Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFOTD) won a significant victory over Disney as a federal judge officially dismissed its First Amendment case a moment ago.
Ron DeSantis Wins Big Against Disney
Just moments ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the CFTOD scored a significant win over Disney in its First Amendment lawsuit filed not too long ago.
NEW: Disney's lawsuit against Ron DeSantis, Central Florida Tourism Oversight District dismissed by federal judge. pic.twitter.com/6TiXtfORIW
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) January 31, 2024
NEW: Disney’s lawsuit against Ron DeSantis, Central Florida Tourism Oversight District dismissed by federal judge.
– Scott Gustin on X, formally Twitter
As outlined in a 17-page ruling (click here to view full ruling), Judge Winsor stated, “In summary, Disney does not possess the legal standing to bring a lawsuit against the Governor or the Secretary. Furthermore, its allegations against the CFTOD Defendants lack merit, as ‘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.'”
The judge says Disney lacks standing in its claim: pic.twitter.com/6YRWA338iA
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) January 31, 2024
The judge says Disney lacks standing in its claim:
– Scott Gustin on X, formally Twitter
The First Amendment case is towards Ron DeSantis’s Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and Disney World, which is interesting considering that the CFTOD is Disney World’s governing district, which was taken over by DeSantis some time ago.
The First Amendment Lawsuit Explained
In the previous year, Governor DeSantis and CFTOD jointly filed a motion to dismiss Disney’s federal lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Disney alleged a “targeted campaign of government retaliation orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech, which now poses a threat to Disney’s business operations, endangers its economic future in the region, and infringes upon its constitutional rights.”
Legal representatives for DeSantis and CFTOD contended that the alleged retaliation by the governor was irrelevant, a position disputed by Disney’s legal team.
Today, Judge Winsor ruled, stating, “This case was resolved through motions to dismiss. The plaintiff’s claims against the Governor and the Department Secretary are dismissed without prejudice due to a lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The claims against the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board members are dismissed on the merits for failure to state a claim.”
The Florida Governor is no longer a Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency after formally removing himself from the run and fully endorsing former President Donald Trump; DeSantis aims to go full throttle against Disney. With DeSantis no longer the Republican Presidential candidate, time will tell how long it takes for a full assault on Disney, Walt Disney World, and Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Disney Is Not Given Up, Responds to Lawsuit Dismissal
This scores a significant victory win for DeSantis and his CFTOD after a few years of going after the House of Mouse for standing up to a bill signed into law by the Florida Governor in 2022 titled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Disney took a stance on the legislation and leaned heavily on standing firm on the LGBTQ side of the argument, which DeSantis did not find too appealing.
DeSantis’s reasoning behind the attack on Disney is that Disney has a power hand over the state of Florida, and the governor believed that no significant corporation like Disney should voice its political agenda when it is tailored to everyone and anyone.
But Disney has not given up just yet regarding this dismissal of this significant lawsuit. Moments ago, Disney officially responded to the news of the First Amendment lawsuit being dismissed by a Federal Judge:
This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here. 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. – Disney Spokesperson
The statement above from a Disney spokesperson comes as the House of Mouse aims to win back the CFTOD and return to its formal glory, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Disney has been seeking the help of a Democratic Senator to try to win back its governing district.
Stay tuned as more information is released, but Inside The Magic will be updating this article throughout the rest of today, so be sure to come back for a more in-depth analysis of this news.