Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company's First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and others in which Disney says it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed "Don't Say Gay."
Under Florida law, grounds for disqualification include bias and a conflict of interest. In its response, Disney said the judge had shown no bias. Walker, who was nominated to the federal bench in 2012 by President Barack Obama and is now chief judge of the district, has said in court filings that he won't take any action in the case until he rules on whether he should be disqualified.
As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World's governing district through legislation passed by lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors. Before the new board came in, the company signed agreements with the old board made up of Disney supporters that stripped the new supervisors of design and construction authority.