FL Dems speak out again against DeSantis' suspension of Orange County prosecutor Monique Worrell
A month after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, Florida Democratic state lawmakers held press conferences in Orlando, Miami, and Tampa on Tuesday calling that decision an attack on direct democracy.
DeSantis suspension of Worrell last month for allegedly “neglecting her duty to faithfully prosecute crimes in her jurisdiction,” marked the second time during the past year that he has unilaterally thrown out of office a democratically elected state attorney, following his ousting of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in 2022.
In both cases, the state attorneys were elected Democrats whom DeSantis replaced with Republicans, although the governor cited more specific criminal policies in justifying his suspension of Worrell. In the case of Warren, DeSantis said his removal was motivated partly because of joint statements he made that indicated that he would not prosecute certain cases regarding abortion or transgender health care.
The governor’s decision to oust Warren was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge earlier this year, but the judge in that case — U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee — ultimately ruled that he lacked authority to reinstate Warren. The Florida Supreme Court turned down Warren’s appeal but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is still considering the matter. The prosecutors also could ask the Florida Senate to reinstate them.
https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/09/05/fl-dems-speak-out-again-against-desantis-suspension-of-orange-county-prosecutor-monique-worrell/
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