DeSantis vs. Disney: De-Escalation Possible?

The now-yearlong feud between Ron DeSantis and Disney is, as Jim Geraghty has described it, at least “a five-layer cake” of competing narratives and arguments. We can argue about the merits of Florida’s law against sex and gender instruction of young kids, or about the proper role of corporate political pressure on state government, or about the proper role of state government in rewarding and punishing business along ideological and political lines, or about the unique legal status of Florida’s special districts that give governmental powers to some favored businesses, or, of course, about the political prospects of DeSantis.

Now, as seems inevitable in modern America, that battle has gone to court. On April 26, Disney filed suit in federal court in northern Florida, where its case was predictably assigned to chief judge Mark Walker, who has made a name for himself thanks to his florid hatred of DeSantis and for Walker’s headline-grabbing opinions bashing the governor’s decisions. On May 1, the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District filed its own suit in state court, a much friendlier venue. I’ll get into the legal weeds in a later column.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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The now-yearlong feud between Ron DeSantis and Disney is, as Jim Geraghty has described it, at least “a five-layer cake” of competing narratives and arguments. We can argue about the merits of Florida’s law against sex and gender instruction of young kids, or about the proper role of corporate political pressure on state government, or about the proper role of state government in rewarding and punishing business along ideological and political lines, or about the unique legal status of Florida’s special districts that give governmental powers to some favored businesses, or, of course, about the political prospects of DeSantis.

Now, as seems inevitable in modern America, that battle has gone to court. On April 26, Disney filed suit in federal court in northern Florida, where its case was predictably assigned to chief judge Mark Walker, who has made a name for himself thanks to his florid hatred of DeSantis and for Walker’s headline-grabbing opinions bashing the governor’s decisions. On May 1, the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District filed its own suit in state court, a much friendlier venue. I’ll get into the legal weeds in a later column.