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    Ron DeSantis’s Orwellian Redefinition of Freedom

    Disney’s lawsuit will put the Florida governor’s understanding of freedom to the constitutional test. And his position will likely shatter.
    by Conor Friedersdorf Apr 30, 2023 6 minutes
    Source: Tom Williams / Getty

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has long presented himself as a principled champion of “freedom.” In Congress, he was a founding member of the Freedom Caucus. He refers to himself as “governor of the free state of Florida.” And while laying the groundwork for a possible presidential run, he is promoting a book on his approach that he titled The Courage to Be Free.

    [Read: The forgotten Ron DeSantis book]

    On Wednesday, Florida’s biggest employer, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, filed a lawsuit alleging that DeSantis is violating its First Amendment right to freedom of speech. According to the complaint, “a targeted campaign of government retaliation—orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech—now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.”

    The case will subject DeSantis’s understanding of freedom and what protecting it requires to the crucible of constitutional law. And his position is likelier to shatter than to withstand the

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