DeSantis defeats Disney in court over free speech lawsuit about parental rights bill



A court handed Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory after tossing out a lawsuit from media conglomerate Disney over the company's objections to his parental rights legislation.

Disney filed the lawsuit against Florida officials in March 2022 after it lost special district privilege when the company criticized DeSantis over the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act. The popular legislation restricted controversial books referring to gender choice and sexuality that might be provided to children at public schools.

Disney's CEO at the time called the bill a “challenge to basic human rights," and the legislature responded by revoking the company's special status related to the district around its theme parks. The lawsuit claimed that the government action was retaliatory and infringing on free speech rights.

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor said in the 17-page ruling that Disney had no standing to sue Florida officials.

“Disney has not alleged any specific actions the new board took (or will take) because of the Governor’s alleged control,” wrote Winsor.

“In fact, Disney has not alleged any specific injury from any board action,” he explained. “Its alleged injury, as discussed above, is its operating under a board it cannot control. That injury would exist whether or not the Governor controlled the board, meaning an injunction precluding the Governor from influencing the board would not redress Disney’s asserted injury.”

DeSantis was pilloried by the left and by many in the media who referred to the parental rights law as the "Don't Say Gay" bill in order to exaggerate its effect. The governor used the bill partly as a springboard to a presidential campaign, but he suspended the effort after not enough support materialized.

Judge Winsor was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

Here's more about the decision:

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Nikki Haley backs Disney in legal feud with Ron DeSantis and uses a Trump insult against him



Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley went on the attack against Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in his fight against Disney, and many noted that she used a nickname insult coined by former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis has been in feud with the massive corporation over land used by Disney World in the state. On Wednesday, Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, alleging that he and other state officials had waged a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power" against the company.

On Wednesday, Haley, who is running for president, made it clear that she backed the House of Mouse.

"Hey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida. We’ve got great weather, great people, and it’s always a great day in South Carolina!" Haley tweeted with a video of her appearance on Fox News about the issue.

\u201cHey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida. \n\nWe\u2019ve got great weather, great people, and it\u2019s always a great day in South Carolina! \n\nSC\u2019s not woke, but we\u2019re not sanctimonious about it either.\u201d
— Nikki Haley (@Nikki Haley) 1682534943

"SC’s not woke, but we’re not sanctimonious about it either," she added.

Haley's jab at DeSantis was not popular among conservatives online who were firmly opposed to Disney's machinations.

"Whoever on your team thinks this is a good tweet, fire them," replied actor Matthew Marsden.

"According to @NikkiHaley , it's 'sanctimonious' for parents to fight Disney for control of their children's classrooms," said Dana Loesch.

"What an absolutely terrible, abysmal take and tone. It’s one thing to quibble with methods used in public policy, but something else to suggest a stand against Disney’s indoctrination of kids is sanctimonious. Such a disappointment," responded Kristen Waggoner, the CEO of the Alliance Defending Freedom.

"Quit pandering to be Trump's VP, you're better than that. This is pathetic," read another tweet.

Others noted that Haley used an insult used against DeSantis by Trump in her tweet.

"Nothing says 'in it to win it' like appropriating and popularizing the frontrunner’s sophomoric nickname for the most viable alternative to the frontrunner in the race," responded Noah Rothman of National Review.

Unlike Haley, DeSantis has not yet announced that he is running for president but many consider him to be Trump's best competition for the Republican nomination in 2024.

A spokesperson for DeSantis responded to the lawsuit from Disney in a statement to CNBC.

"We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state," said Taryn Fenske.

"This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law," she added.

Here's more about the Disney-DeSantis feud:

Disney sues Florida Gov. DeSantis amid feud over self-governing privileges www.youtube.com

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