DeSantis had sought to have Walker removed from the case, arguing that he could not be impartial given comments he had made about the company during hearings in two previous unrelated cases.

Walker, an appointee of former President Barack Obama who ruled against DeSantis several times, said those arguments don’t warrant his removal from the case and amount to “nothing more than rank judge-shopping.” But he acknowledged that he should step aside because one of his relatives within a third degree owns 30 shares of Disney.

“I do not think it likely that the outcome of this litigation would substantially affect The Walt Disney Company’s share price,” Walker said in his Thursday order. “I choose to err on the side of caution — which, here, is also the side of judicial integrity — and disqualify myself.”

Disney sued DeSantis in April, claiming that his efforts to strip the company of control over the jurisdiction in which its Florida theme parks sit is unlawful retaliation for the company speaking out against his policies. Disney opposed a 2022 law limiting gender identity and sexual orientation instruction in public schools.

The dispute has served as political ammunition for DeSantis, who recently launched his 2024 presidential campaign.