Govt. Ron DeSantis asks that a federal judge be disqualified for the

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Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the governor of Florida and his appointees alleging that the attorney’s previous statements in other cases have raised questions about his impartiality in the state’s efforts to take over Disney World’s governing body.

DeSantis’ attorney filed a motion Friday in federal court in Tallahassee to disqualify U.S. District Judge Mark Walker from overseeing the lawsuit filed by Disney last month. The lawsuit alleges that DeSantis and his appointees violated the company’s right of free speech, as well as the contract clause, by taking over the special board district formerly controlled by Disney supporters after Disney opposed Florida legislation that critics Don have mentioned it. Say gay.

The Republican governor’s motion was filed a day after Disney announced it was scrapping plans to build a new campus in central Florida and relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to digital technology, finance and product development, amid a ongoing feud with DeSantis.

DeSantis’ motion said Walker was referring to the ongoing dispute between his administration and Disney during hearings in two unrelated lawsuits before him on issues of free speech and fear of retaliation for violating new laws championed by DeSantis and Republican lawmakers. One of them was one

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Amendment lawsuit filed by Florida professors challenging a new law that established a poll on intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity on state campuses.

Walker, who was nominated by the president in 2012 for the federal bench

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Obama dismissed that lawsuit on the grounds that the professors had no authority to challenge the bill championed by DeSantis and Florida lawmakers.

In the first case, Walker said, “What’s in the record, for example, is there anything in the record that says we’re going to take Disney’s special status away now because they’re awake?”

In the second case, the judge said, And then Disney is going to lose its status because they arguably, because they made a statement that violated the state policy of the controlling party, according to the DeSantis motion.

Disney and DeSantis have been embroiled in a tug of war for more than a year that has showered the GOP governor with criticism as he prepares to launch an expected presidential bid next week.

The feud began after Disney, despite considerable pressure, publicly opposed the state regarding sexual orientation and gender identity classes in early classes that critics called Don’t Say Gay.

As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World’s self-governing district through legislation passed by lawmakers and appointed a new Board of Supervisors. Before the new board took office, the company signed agreements with the old board stripping the new supervisors of their design and construction authority.

In response, the Republican-controlled Florida legislature passed legislation allowing the DeSantis-appointed board to revoke those agreements and subject the theme park resort’s monorail system to state inspection, where it had previously been done internally.

Disney served the

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Amendment lawsuit against DeSantis and the Disney-appointed board last month in federal court in Tallahassee, and it landed in Walker’s court. The Disney-appointed board earlier this month sued Disney in state court in Orlando to void deals the company made with the previous board.

The creation of Disney’s Self-Governing District by the Florida Legislature was instrumental in the company’s decision in the 1960s to build near Orlando. At the time, Disney told the state it planned to build a futuristic city with a transit system and city planning innovations, so the company needed autonomy. However, the futuristic city was never realized and instead turned into a second theme park that opened in 1982.

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@MikeSchneiderAP