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The powers of the governor are about to be checked.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis put his powers to the test a few weeks ago by suspending Andrew Warren as Hillsborough County State Attorney.
Now Warren is taking DeSantis to court.
Big Battle
DeSantis went after Warren for “neglect of duty.”
When Warren tried to change the rules of the prosecutorial game, DeSantis cut him loose.
Warren stated that he would NOT prosecute “crimes” that violated the state’s abortion rules or transition treatments for minors.
DeSantis Communications Director Taryn Fenske responded, “It’s not surprising Warren, who was suspended for refusing to follow the law, would file a legally baseless lawsuit challenging his suspension.
“We look forward to responding in court.”
DeSantis initially suspended Warren for the “blanket refusal” to enforce the law.
In the suspension notes, DeSantis even stated that every prosecutor has the right to evaluate cases on their merit, but it was this admission that the law would be dismissed and not prosecuted that led to the suspension.
The order stated, “[A] state attorney who contends that prosecutorial discretion may be used to disregard entire criminal laws demonstrates incompetence and gross ignorance of a state attorney’s official duty to exercise discretion only on a ‘case-by-case’ and ‘individualized’ basis.”
Warren’s attorney Jean-Jacques Cabou contends, “The First Amendment protects the right of elected officials to speak out on matters of public controversy, and in fact, it does so because it’s so important that the voters who choose these elected officials know where they stand on these issues.”
Speaking out is fine, but completely disregarding the law is another matter.
The outcome of this case will have far-reaching effects, so the entire country will be watching this one.
