Last week, lawyer Jenna Ellis, known for working on former president Donald Trump’s legal team and for representing Grace Community Church—pastored by John MacArthur—against California’s COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, posted a message offering to help defend Disney’s “right to constitutionally protected speech.”
Her offer came a day after she posted a video explaining how she believes the bill Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed on Friday, which stripped Disney of its self governing status in the state of Florida, was an illegal retaliation against the company.
Disney vocally opposed Florida’s recently passed House Bill 1557, which bans teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with young children. Those who have opposed the bill have labeled it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Ellis shared that she also disagrees with Disney’s corporate statement regarding the bill.
“Today is probably the most important episode I have ever done on this show,” Ellis said, explaining that she “staunchly disagrees” with Gov. DeSantis’ actions toward Disney.
Ellis, who is a Christian, said, “Just because the Democrats wield unconstitutional power and try to get away with it, does not in any way justify republicans doing the same.” Ellis shared that conservatives should protect free speech, “especially the right to speak views we disagree with.”
Ellis believes that most conservatives don’t quite understand “the heart of the principle that’s at stake” regarding Florida’s new bill, which will go into effect on June 1, 2023.
“When we allow our partisan, political perspectives to get in the way of our advocacy of the principle of the rule of law, then it becomes a force of whoever’s party is in control,” Ellis explained, “rather than understanding how the law is meant to be equable and fair to everyone’s view points—even if we, as conservatives, disagree with them or if the Left disagrees with us.”
Ellis said that we need to defend Disney’s right to say things even when we don’t agree with them. “Disney isn’t doing anything illegal or immoral in terms of action by their statement” against Florida’s House Bill 1557. The statement may advance an immoral viewpoint, “but in terms of under the law, Disney isn’t doing anything other than exercising constitutionally protected speech,” Ellis said.
“Just because the Democrats wield unconstitutional power and try to get away with it does not in any way justify Republicans doing the same,” Ellis pointed out.
While some may say that Disney isn’t exercising a religious belief, Ellis argued the opposite, saying that everything relating to morality is “inherently religious.”
Having a government that retaliates against a corporation because it doesn’t like a statement that corporation releases would result in “disastrous consequences that would have a chilling effect on speech,” Ellis expressed.
