Walt Disney World and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have been involved in a heated battle over the last year regarding who has ultimate control over the land that Disney World sits on. Last year, the governor transformed the special district that oversaw the vacation kingdom, and Disney sued, claiming that the governor was retaliating against the company for exercising its free speech. A federal judge does not agree, as he has dismissed the lawsuit.
United States District Judge Allen Winsor said that Disney lacks standing to sue Governor DeSantis. The governor has requested the suit be dismissed based on the doctrine of sovereign immunity, the argument being that a government official cannot be sued for executing their duties. The suit against the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has also been dismissed. Deadline reports the ruling stated that 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."
