Florida's suspended state attorney sued Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday after Republicans sought todismiss the prosecutor's constitutional rights andto obstruct his will. claimed to be. Number of voters in Sunshine State.
Andrew Warren, who was the state attorney for Hillsborough County, which includes the city of Tampa, was suspended by DeSantis earlier this month.
The two cited what the governor called Warren's lazy approach to prosecuting criminals and the state's 15-week abortion ban, or sex restrictions. state attorneys' professed refusals to enforce laws that could - Affirm consideration for transgender people.
Warren, who was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020,filed a lawsuit in Tampa federal courtwhere DeSantis When the governor deposed him for allegedly violating First Amendment rights.
"DeSantis elected Warren as a result of Warren's decision to continue to speak out on the issues voters elected to pursue him. Suspended from office, Warren was deprived of his ability to perform his duties, his income, and the benefits associated with his work," he said in the 28-page complaint.
Warren opposes two statements against abortion restrictions and "[b]lls that criminalize safe and critical medical care or the mere public presence of transgender people." He admitted to joining other prosecutors across the country in signing two statements, but claimed: Neither statement refers to specific Florida law.
Nevertheless, according to Warren, the executive order dismissing Mr. DeSantis cites the signing of two statements.
"Of course, DeSantis is free to express his views and disagreements with Warren as often as he likes. Indeed, the Federal Constitution guarantees that he ``But on Thursday, August 4, 2022, DeSantis went too far. issued Executive Order 22-176 suspending Warren from duly elected office, using the power of his esteemed office as a weapon for
of Wednesday. At a morning press conference, Warren accused the governor of "illegal abuse of power."
"A lot more than my job is at stake here. Ron DeSantis wants to overthrow a fair election and nullify the votes of hundreds of thousands of Floridians. By voicing , we can ensure that the governor cannot discard the results of the election because he doesn't like it," Warren added.
DeSantis, likely to run for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, was "incompetent" and "negligent of duty" by Warren on his page 29 on Aug. 4. A series of accusations were made.Executive order suspended state attorneys.
The Governor appointed District Judge Susan Lopez to replace Warren.
DeSantis' office said the lawsuit was expected.
"It is not surprising that Warren, who was suspended for refusing to obey the law, would file a lawsuit without legal basis challenging his suspension," said DeSantis. Spokesperson Taryn Fenskesaid. Statement to Politico. "I look forward to hearing from you in court."
