DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
On Thursday, June 1, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scored a win in his legal battle against the Walt Disney Company.
RELATED: Disney More Polarizing Than Twitter, Pfizer, and Facebook
DeSantis Demands
Credit: ABC
The Florida Governor’s legal team requested the judge in the Disney v. DeSantis lawsuit recuse himself over comments he made that some attorneys argued implied bias. The judge presiding over the case, Judge Walker, had previously ruled on cases where he referenced the state retaliating against Disney. The lawyers representing Governor DeSantis argued that the judge’s comments could imply prejudice in favor of Disney.
RELATED: Disney Plans Not Impacted by Florida Politics, Says Disney Parks Chairman
The motion caused the case to pause briefly last week. However, the judge considered the request but then refused to recuse himself.
Judge Walker Walks
The judge has since recused himself for a different reason altogether. Judge Walker revealed that a family member owned stock in the Walt Disney Company.
RELATED: Disney v DeSantis Battle Heads to the White House
He stated: “On Friday, May 26, 2023, I learned, and later confirmed, that a relative within the third degree of relationship owns thirty shares of stock in Plaintiff’s parent corporation, The Walt Disney Company.”
A third-degree relative would include first cousins, great-grandparents, great-aunts, great-uncles, or great-grandchildren, among others.
Credit: Disney
A Trump Judge
Federal Judge Allen C. Windsor, appointed by former president Donald J. Trump is set to take over all proceedings related to the case.
NEW: Judge Mark Walker is disqualifying himself from the case of Disney vs DeSantis. He denied the official request made by DeSantis – but says he is disqualifying himself because “a relative within the third degree” owns stock in Disney.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) June 1, 2023
It will be interesting to see how this trial and all pending litigation between the Walt Disney Company and the State of Florida pans out. While Disney stocks seem to struggle and Disney Plus loses subscribers, Governor Ron DeSantis has declared his campaign for President of the United States. And, of course, the X factor in all of this is Donald Trump. The former president lives in Florida, is running against Ron DeSantis for president, and has one of his appointed judges overseeing the Disney v DeSantis case.
RELATED: Disney/DeSantis Feud May Benefit Disney Guests
Credit: Disney
It’s shaping up to be quite a mess. And in the end, whoever the “winner” is, Disney fans and the American people may be the ones who lose the most.
