In First Amendment Battle With Ron DeSantis, Disney Quotes Trump-Appointee’s Andrew Warren Opinion
The Walt Disney Company is turning to a court ruling that could return Tampa prosecutor Andrew Warren to his job after he was suspended by Ron DeSantis to support their First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor.
Warren was suspended by DeSantis in August 2022 after Warren made statements opposing efforts to criminalize abortion and gender-transition treatments for children.
Warren sued DeSantis over his dismissal, arguing that the governor had violated his First Amendment rights.
An Appeals Court Sided With Warren
While U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle largely agreed that Warren’s suspension was unconstitutional, he also ruled that the court was powerless to reinstate the prosecutor.
Warren appealed the ruling, and a three-judge panel of the 11th Circut Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled that the court did indeed have the authority to return Warren to office.
“DeSantis argues that even if Warren prevails on the merits of his claim. The district court lacks the authority to reinstate Warren. We reject this argument,” their decision reads. “The Eleventh Amendment permits federal courts to remedy First Amendment violations.”
Disney Argues The Same Principles Apply
In a similar argument to Warren’s, Disney argues that DeSantis violated the company’s First Amendment rights when he spearheaded a dissolution of the Disney-appointed Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Disney argues that DeSantis dissolved Reedy Creek in retaliation after Disney publicly opposed Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill (which critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay”).
In their latest court filing, Disney’s lawyers quoted part of the concurring opinion in the Warren case, written by Judge Kevin Newsom, a Trump appointee.
“[F]or the same reason that the government can’t muzzle so-called ‘conservative’ speech under the guise of preventing on-campus ‘harassment’ … the state can’t exercise its coercive power to censor so-called ‘woke’ speech with which it disagrees,” his opinion read.
“The same values are at stake here,” Disney’s lawyers added.
As always, continue to check back with MickeyBlog. We will continue to update you on all the news surrounding Disney’s battle with Ron DeSantis.
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