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DeSantis Scores Big Legal Win in First Round of Disney Feud

after doing his bidding on Disney Florida Legislature bucks DeSantis
Credit: Gage Skidmore Flickr/ Disney

Round one goes to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. And this win could potentially be huge for Governor DeSantis in his ongoing legal case with the Walt Disney Company.

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker recused himself from the case, saying he had a conflict of interest. His conflict was that a distant family member owned 30 shares of stock in the Disney Company.

DeSantis gets Trump judge in Disney case

Credit: Disney / Gage Skidmore, Flickr

Lawyers for DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District sought to remove Walker from the case for commenting about it in open court during other trials. But Walker, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, also shot down several DeSantis policies in court.

While recusing himself, Walker did slam Gov. DeSantis’ original motion, writing:

Without exploring all the other defects in the motion, for the reasons noted above and as thoughtfully outlines in Plaintiff’s response, Defendant’s motion is wholly without merit. In fact, I find the motion nothing more than rank judge shopping. Sadly, this practice has become all too common in this district. 

The case has now been assigned to U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, an appointee of former President Donald Trump. Winso has shown himself to be a reliable go-to for DeSantis and his policies when challenged in court.

DeSantis gets Trump judge in Disney case

Credit: Matt Johnson, Flickr

Winsor has thrown out two separate lawsuits that challenged the Parental Rights in Education law, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Winsor ruled the plaintiffs in those cases did not have standing to challenge the law, and their arguments for why the law was damaging to them were insufficient.

The Walt Disney Co is suing Gov Ron DeSantis and his board for infringing on the company’s First Amendment Rights and retaliating for Disney speaking out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Disney World s ability to govern itself is at stake, as it has done since 1971 through the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

DeSantis gets Trump judge in Disney case

Credit: Flickr: Florida Game and Wildlife/Disney

Gov DeSantis’ legal team has asked the court to throw out Disney’s case, and with a judge friendly to the governor and his causes, it has become more likely Judge Winsor would listen to that petition.

How far Disney’s lawsuit will go in the courts remains to be seen, but this change can only help DeSantis and his board.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.

 

About Rick

Rick is an avid Disney fan. He first went to Disney World in 1986 with his parents and has been hooked ever since. Rick is married to another Disney fan and is in the process of turning his two children into fans as well. When he is not creating new Disney adventures, he loves to watch the New York Yankees and hang out with his dog, Buster. In the fall, you will catch him cheering for his beloved NY Giants.

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