DeSantis suspends elected Florida state attorney Monique Worrell accusing her of being soft on crime

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Monique Worrell, the state attorney for Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, accusing her of under-prosecuting criminals in her jurisdiction.

Worrell, a Democratic elected official who took office in 2021, has been “clearly and fundamentally derelict” in her duties, the Republican governor claimed at a press conference in Tallahassee.

An executive order signed by DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd accused Worrell of “systematically” allowing criminals to evade incarceration, either by dropping charges or declining to allege provable facts.

Her actions constitute “both neglect of duty and incompetence,” according to the executive order. DeSantis acknowledged that prosecutors like Worrell “do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not.” But Worrell has “abused that discretion,” he said.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/desantis-suspends-elected-florida-state-attorney-monique-worrell.html

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Full headline: DeSantis suspends elected Florida state attorney Monique Worrell, accusing her of being soft on crime


Florida Ninth Judicial District State Attorney Monique Worrell is suspended as of Wednesday morning via an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Getty Images

Doubling down on the white supremacist strategy.

[GB_RN]

1. Right...

I’m sure that’s actually the case, DeFascist. I’m sure.🙄

[madashelltoo]

2. How can an elected official suspend an elected official?

America, something’s wrong with this. Desperately wrong.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I remember when Rick Snyder did that in MI

when the state took over Detroit and Flint.

[ananda]

25. Abbott's doing this in Texas.

He just took over Harris County, for example.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. They all have that "pattern"

of basically bring the blue cities "to heel".

And states like FL, MI, and probably TX, have laws that allow it. We have a similar authority here in PA - but targeted for fiscal problems, NOT "policy" issues.

[former9thward]

48. New York has the same law.

Don't you remember when posters were demanding NY Governor Hochul replace NYC DA Bragg because he was not pursuing Trump? I do.

[BumRushDaShow]

50. The question then becomes

have any (D) governors actually used the authority and "removed" any from office that their statutes allow?

[Cha]

52. And, deFascist already did that to an

Elected Prosecutor in Florida.

Ron DeSantis suspends second elected prosecutor as his 2024 campaign struggles

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-suspends-second-elected-prosecutor-monique-worrell-rcna98968

I really Hope all this Wiping Out the People's VOTES Comes Back To BLOWBACK BACKFIRES his GD ass.

[BumRushDaShow]

54. And I hope

that the sleepy, laid back Floridians wake up and help to try to make a difference.

[Cha]

55. Yes.. They're Getting Bombarded with

Evidence to do just that.

I have family in Gainesville and St Pete.. All Dems. And, I'm going to St Pete the last of September for my Nephew's Wedding!

[BumRushDaShow]

56. That's gonna be a long flight

(been there done that )

But congrats to your nephew!!!!

[Rebl2]

9. Was

wondering that myself. How can a governor do this legally?

[Grins]

18. Yes. She was ELECTED! That makes her constitutional.

And ELECTED officials do not have to comply to whims of ANYONE, as compared to appointed positions. Same with Sheriff's.

As I recall, only the Gov. of Florida can remove a Sheriff or other elected officer, but only for cause.* This one stinks as overtly political in attempt by DeSantis to show his ass.

* In other states, you have to sue in state Supreme Court. (Mass.)

[former9thward]

49. New York has the same law.

The governor can remove elected district attorneys.

[Jose Garcia]

19. Yes, the FL Constitution gives that power to the Governor:

SECTION 7. Suspensions; filling office during suspensions.—
(a) By executive order stating the grounds and filed with the custodian of state records, the governor may suspend from office any state officer not subject to impeachment, any officer of the militia not in the active service of the United States, or any county officer, for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of a felony, and may fill the office by appointment for the period of suspension. The suspended officer may at any time before removal be reinstated by the governor.

(b) The senate may, in proceedings prescribed by law, remove from office or reinstate the suspended official and for such purpose the senate may be convened in special session by its president or by a majority of its membership.

(c) By order of the governor any elected municipal officer indicted for crime may be suspended from office until acquitted and the office filled by appointment for the period of suspension, not to extend beyond the term, unless these powers are vested elsewhere by law.

https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/constitution

[24601]

27. Good Post Jose. He also suspended, just over a year ago, Andrew Warren - State Attorney for the

13th Judicial District, which is the Tampa area.

In September, Mr. Warren filed in Federal Court - which ruled that Federal Courts have no jurisdiction and that this is a state issue.

Mr. Warren appealed to the Florida Supreme Court. In June, the Florida Supreme Court ruled (link below) that his appeal was not timely and suggested his delayed appeal was intentional in order to wait until the State Senate was not in session. That's significant because Florida's Constitution gives the State Senate the sole authority to decide whether such suspensions are upheld or overturned.


https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/courts/2023/06/22/hillsborough-state-attorney-andrew-warren-lawsuit/70348361007/

[Bev54]

29. She still has a case, this is outright retaliation for a letter she wrote against him.

[SCantiGOP]

36. Thanks, Jose

I remembered he had a law letting him do this.
But the optics are just terrible. Couldn’t he have gone after a white official first, just so he could make the argument that this wasn’t racist?
He must think he can pull some of the hardcore bigot vote away from Trump, but that ain’t going to happen.

[Jose Garcia]

39. He did go after a white official first

Last year he suspended Andrew Warren, a white male:

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/courts/2023/06/22/hillsborough-state-attorney-andrew-warren-lawsuit/70348361007/

[SCantiGOP]

40. I see that now

So I’ll give him credit for at least making a tiny pretense of covering his most despicable actions.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

42. ... and may fill the office by appointment for the period of suspension.

I think that is perhaps the most important part.

He gets to put a Republican lackey in the office to rubberstamp his own view of law enforcement, despite the voter's apparent wish for a balancing factor.

I wonder what laws he wants enforced more stringently.

[melm00se]

34. Yes he can

That power is in the FL state constitution

ARTICLE IV
SECTION 7. Suspensions; filling office during suspensions.—
(a) By executive order stating the grounds and filed with the custodian of state records, the governor may suspend from office any state officer not subject to impeachment, any officer of the militia not in the active service of the United States, or any county officer, for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of a felony, and may fill the office by appointment for the period of suspension. The suspended officer may at any time before removal be reinstated by the governor.
(b) The senate may, in proceedings prescribed by law, remove from office or reinstate the suspended official and for such purpose the senate may be convened in special session by its president or by a majority of its membership.
(c) By order of the governor any elected municipal officer indicted for crime may be suspended from office until acquitted and the office filled by appointment for the period of suspension, not to extend beyond the term, unless these powers are vested elsewhere by law or the municipal charter.

The original intent was to allow the governor to prevent a corrupt official from doing additional damage while the removal process was grinding forward.

A federal judge has already done a judicial facepalm when DeSantis pulled the same stunt in the past but the federal judiciary does not have jurisdiction.

[snowybirdie]

3. Another blow to Democracy

She was elected by voters and she's getting no due process as he suspends her. He has successfully down that to the Democratically elected states attorney in Tampa. In
Deathsatis' Florida, democrats are pushed out no matter what we citizens want.

[hay rick]

4. This doesn't happen if he isn't sliding in the polls.

Black female officer of the court. Payback for Tanya Chutkan and Moxila Upadhyaya.

Little Ronnie took 3 years to summon up the courage to say Trump lost the election and now he needs to polish his racist cred as an apology to "the base."

[niyad]

6. I did not even have to read the piece to know that she is Black.

[Jose Garcia]

20. But he did suspend a white male prosecutor last year

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/23/politics/florida-supreme-court-andrew-warren-desantis/index.html

[niyad]

21. Yes, I remember. But my spidey senses were operating.

[vlyons]

7. Plus she's a she, and a black she at that

Can he do that? She was elected.

[machoneman]

13. Trifecta! Black, woman, Democrat....MAGATS, drink! A sad day for sure.

[William769]

8. How many is that now?

[NCDem47]

10. Two now I believe.

And I think he was making waves about someone down in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale area) too.

Tampa. Orlando. Ft. Lauderdale. ALL vote D.

[William769]

12. Thanks!

[Casady1]

11. waterboard them

like he did at Gitmo.

[relayerbob]

14. She should show she's tough on crime

Arrest him for kidnapping and human trafficking

[Jose Garcia]

23. She has no official powers while she is suspended

[relayerbob]

41. Sigh

[Fla Dem]

15. She's Black and a Democrat. By all means suspend her.

What a complete douche bag DeSanctimonious is.

[yardwork]

16. He's acting like a dictator.

[niyad]

22. He IS one.

[Cha]

53. Yes.

[cactusfractal]

17. He seems like fertile ground

for freedom seeds.

I wouldn't be sad if someone planted some.

[ashredux]

24. Yes, it was almost certain she was a black woman before I even got to the picture in the article

Florida is turning into a sad, sad state.

[Martin68]

28. Authoritarian totalitarian.

[DFW]

30. Has she arrested DeSantis or Rick Scott yet?

No? Then he's right, she IS soft on crime!

[niyad]

60. Exactly.

[bronxiteforever]

31. He is a racist bully and until

he is rejected by voters and the Florida GOP loses seats, he will keep on turning the government into a fist against fellow citizens.

[iluvtennis]

32. WTF. He did this because she is black, a woman, and a Democrat. This is just wrong. An elected

official shouldn't be removed from their position. This is a way of overturning the votes of the people. Crossing my fingers that ACLU and other civil right organizations can remedy this.

[moonshinegnomie]

33. its time for florida citizens to realize they have a dictator in charge

since the courts wont stop him its up to the citizens. every day the fascists like desantis move us closer and closer to complete dictatorship and the dems do nothing to stop him. maybe its time for people to take matters into their own hands. Im not sure what that entails but were getting closer and closer to a breaking point.

[melm00se]

35. We are stuck with this SOB

until the end of his term (2026). There is a less than zero chance of impeaching him.

The only solace I can take is that he cannot run again due the term limits enshrined in the FL constitution.

[NCDem47]

45. Floridians have a habit of sending bad actors to Washington after Tallashassee stints.

[melm00se]

46. He'll never be president

and he can't run for the Senate in 2024 as he has committed to the presidential run.

He might get lucky if Scott gets re-elected and then retires (Scott is 70) and the state legislature sends DeSantis as his replacement. But that is not a guarantee as Rick Scott just barely won in 2019 (0.2% of the vote).

We are stuck with Rubio until 2028.

[NCDem47]

61. Scott will need to be carried out of the Senate in a body bag

He's never giving that seat up as long as he wants it and Floridians keep sending him back. Same for Rubio. The only natural upward progression for each is U.S. President. And no way in hell is that happening for either of them. I see a looooooong stretch with our current two Senators.

[Joinfortmill]

37. WTHF? It's a goddamn mess out there

[70sEraVet]

38. He's trying to recharge his Presidential campaign!

If you want to be accepted as the Messiah of the Bigots, you HAVE to offer sacrifices at the alter.

[ificandream]

43. And he suspends a woman of color. Sending a message? Yup

She's not soft on crime. He's soft in the head. Not to mention a racist.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

44. Welcome to Fascism DeSantis style

"Fuck you voters. I'm king."

[ificandream]

47. We all know his campaign is sinking like a stone, but ....

... I just keep wondering how quickly he and Dumbledore Trump will kiss and make up once DeSanctamonious bows out. I predict it'll happen in record time. I further predict Rondo will be Trump's running mate.

[Cha]

51. BULLSHIT you MF FASCIST CROCK of SHIT!

GD him to HELL.

[Cha]

57. I didn't go to the link But I

hope we can hear from Monique Worrell on this some day.

TY

[Skittles]

58. I KNEW she would be black

more performance for the cult

[TomSlick]

59. I understand the Florida State Constitution gives this right to a Governor. However.....

I analogize the Governor's power to the right in a right-to-work state for an employer to fire an employee for almost any reason or no reason.

The almost is important. While such an employer can fire for no reason, they may not fire for an unlawful reason, e.g. making a workers compensation claim, reporting crimes to appropriate authorities. Firing a duly elected State Attorney for obviously political (if not patently racist) reasons would be an unlawful reason.

I don't claim any knowledge of Florida-specific law but I think a lawsuit challenging the suspension might find some traction.