Fla. Prosecutor Sues DeSantis After Being Sacked for Pro-Trans Support
A Democratic Florida prosecutor is suing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over his sudden removal from his elected position.In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, Andrew Warren, who served as Hillsborough County state attorney, accused DeSantis of abusing his power by suspending him for not prosecuting women who violate the state’s new 15-week abortion ban.DeSantis suspended the prosecutor in Tampa, Andrew Warren, earlier this month with an executive order.
He replaced Warren with Susan Lopez, a judge whom he had just appointed to the bench in December.Warren filed the lawsuit in U.S.
District Court alleging the governor violated his free speech rights under the First Amendment. Though Warren spoke out in favor of abortion rights and gender-affirming medical care and his office has no pending cases in those areas and has not taken any action on them, DeSantis suspended the attorney.
As Warren contends, DeSantis is attempting to overturn the results of an election.DeSantis had previously indicated that Warren’s promise not to prosecute people who violate abortion restrictions or a law barring gender-affirming care for minors prompted him to act.“This morning I filed a suit in federal court to challenge that blatant abuse of power by Governor DeSantis in suspending me as state attorney,” Warren said during a Wednesday morning press conference in Tallahassee, Politico reports.
