Current:Home > BackChanging course, Florida prosecutor suspended by DeSantis to seek reelection-InfoLens
Changing course, Florida prosecutor suspended by DeSantis to seek reelection
View Date:2024-12-23 11:31:48
Changing course, a Democratic Florida prosecutor suspended from office by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he will seek reelection while a court battle continues over his 2022 removal from the post.
Andrew Warren had said in January he would not run this year. But that was before a federal appeals court ruled that a lower court should consider Warren’s argument that statements he made about hot-button issues such as abortion were political advocacy protected by the First Amendment. That case remains pending.
DeSantis cited those statements in suspending Warren, contending he was improperly refusing to uphold and enforce certain laws. The governor appointed Republican Suzy Lopez to replace Warren, and she is running for the position that prosecutes cases in Tampa and surrounding Hillsborough County.
In his announcement in a video posted on social media, Warren said the governor “illegally forced me from office” and that he decided to seek a third term even as a judge in Tallahassee considers whether to order his reinstatement later this year. Qualifying for the election ends next week.
“I’m running to protect our values, for a woman’s right to choose, for a fair and just system and — above all — for freedom and democracy,” Warren said in a statement. “I’m running to do what’s right.”
The governor’s office said after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court ruling in favor of Warren that it sets a “dangerous precedent” that could permit politically motivated prosecutors to ignore laws they oppose.
The appeal will eventually go before U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who previously ruled that Warren’s statements were protected by the First Amendment but that he lacked authority to reinstate the prosecutor. The appeals court said Hinkle does have that authority.
Warren’s suspension was the first one made by the Republican governor involving Democratic elected state attorneys. Last year, DeSantis suspended Monique Worrell, who was the state attorney for the Orlando area. Worrell is challenging the decision before the Florida Supreme Court.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Are Dancing with the Stars’ Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber Living Together? She Says…
- Florida man hung banners with swastikas, anti-Semitic slogans in Orlando bridge, authorities say
- Elon Musk Reflects on Brutal Relationship With Amber Heard in New Biography
- When the dead don't stay buried: The grave situation at cemeteries amid climate change
- Fighting conspiracy theories with comedy? That’s what the Onion hopes after its purchase of Infowars
- Parents of autistic boy demand answers after video shows school employee striking son
- Chorus of disapproval: National anthems sung by schoolkids at Rugby World Cup out of tune with teams
- Top Chef's Stephanie Izard Shares What's in Her Kitchen, Including a $11 Find She Uses Every Day
- John Krasinski named People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive
- Horoscopes Today, September 13, 2023
Ranking
- Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
- Ex-CIA employee snared earlier in classified info bust found guilty of possessing child abuse images
- Justice Department pushes ahead with antitrust case against Google, questions ex-employee on deals
- How close is Earth to becoming unlivable? Humans push planet to brink, study warns.
- FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
- With incandescent light bulbs now banned, one fan has stockpiled 4,826 bulbs to last until he's 100
- Woman found guilty of throwing sons into Louisiana lake
- World Cup referee Yoshimi Yamashita among first women match officials at Asian Cup
Recommendation
-
Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
-
CIA 'looking into' allegations connected to COVID-19 origins
-
Winner of $2.4 billion Powerball lottery purchases third home for $47 million
-
On 'GUTS', Olivia Rodrigo is more than the sum of her influences
-
Bill on school bathroom use by transgender students clears Ohio Legislature, heads to governor
-
Inflation rose in August amid higher prices at the pump
-
There's a glimmer of hope on Yemen's war front. Yet children are still dying of hunger
-
Inflation rose in August amid higher prices at the pump