Andrew Warren Fired By Gov. Desantis For Refusing To Prosecute Abortion Crimes Sues For Reinstatement

A Florida attorney general has sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a bid to reinstate him after he was fired from office for pledging not to prosecute cases stemming from Florida’s 15-week abortion ban and potential bans on care that confirms gender. Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren (D) argued that his Aug. 4 suspension was unlawful on First Amendment grounds and called his removal “retaliation” by DeSantis against a critic and political opponent, according to a federal complaint filed by was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Florida. DeSantis suspends Democratic attorney-elect who signed bond on abortion cases In a video message, Warren said that in addition to violating his free speech rights, DeSantis violated Florida law. “He violated the Florida Constitution by removing me from office without any legal justification, rejecting the results of a fair and free election,” Warren said. DeSantis’ office dismissed Warren’s federal complaint as “baseless.” “It is not surprising that Warren, who was suspended for refusing to follow the law, would file a legally meritless lawsuit challenging his suspension. We look forward to responding to the court,” a spokesperson for DeSantis said in a statement. Warren has been in office since 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 with more than 53 percent of the vote. DeSandis’ suspension of Warren and replacing him with a person of his choice sets a troubling tone for democracy in Florida, Louis Virelli, a law professor at Stetson University Law School, told The Washington Post. “One small step from here is if I, as governor, don’t think a state attorney is tough enough on a particular crime, I’ll replace you with a person I prefer,” Virelli said. “The choice of the voters prevails.” Virelli said a complaint is one of the few options Warren has if he wants to keep his job. Part of Warren’s argument in the complaint is that the Florida Constitution limits removal to actual inability or inability to perform the task and breach of a legal duty. “Warren is being punished for what he said, not what he did,” Virelli said. Shortly after Warren was suspended, his office’s communications chief was told she had to resign and be paid for the entire month — or be fired on the spot. Melanie Snow-Waxler, who began her role with the state’s attorney’s office in May, was fired Aug. 12. “This illegal firing is part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation,” her attorney, Ryan Barrack, said in a statement this week. DeSantis and Warren are ideological opposites who have publicly clashed on issues such as abortion, Covid restrictions, criminal justice and transgender rights. In June, the day the Dobbs vs. Jackson The ruling was issued, effectively ending the federal right to access abortion, Warren joined dozens of prosecutors across the country in signing a pledge to “refrain from using limited resources of the criminal justice system to criminalize personal medical decisions.” In 2021, Warren signed a similar joint statement with other elected attorneys general, affirming that health care decisions should be “private discretion” and saying they would not use their office to “advance the criminalization of health care that affirms gender or transsexuals’. The DeSantis administration has pursued aggressive policies to increasingly restrict medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. just last week, the state barred people from using Medicare coverage to help pay for gender-affirming care. Florida to ban Medicaid coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care Since Warren’s suspension, he and DeSantis have been at odds over the nature of the suspension. While Warren described his suspension as “temporary” in his filing, DeSantis’ office said Warren is no longer the solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County after the governor appointed Susan Lopez, a Republican judge who supported Warren’s opponent in 2016.

title: “Andrew Warren Fired By Gov. Desantis For Refusing To Prosecute Abortion Crimes Sues For Reinstatement Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-28” author: “Matthew Velasco”

A Florida attorney general has sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a bid to reinstate him after he was fired from office for pledging not to prosecute cases stemming from Florida’s 15-week abortion ban and potential bans on care that confirms gender. Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren (D) argued that his Aug. 4 suspension was unlawful on First Amendment grounds and called his removal “retaliation” by DeSantis against a critic and political opponent, according to a federal complaint filed by was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Florida. DeSantis suspends Democratic attorney-elect who signed bond on abortion cases In a video message, Warren said that in addition to violating his free speech rights, DeSantis violated Florida law. “He violated the Florida Constitution by removing me from office without any legal justification, rejecting the results of a fair and free election,” Warren said. DeSantis’ office dismissed Warren’s federal complaint as “baseless.” “It is not surprising that Warren, who was suspended for refusing to follow the law, would file a legally meritless lawsuit challenging his suspension. We look forward to responding to the court,” a spokesperson for DeSantis said in a statement. Warren has been in office since 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 with more than 53 percent of the vote. DeSandis’ suspension of Warren and replacing him with a person of his choice sets a troubling tone for democracy in Florida, Louis Virelli, a law professor at Stetson University Law School, told The Washington Post. “One small step from here is if I, as governor, don’t think a state attorney is tough enough on a particular crime, I’ll replace you with a person I prefer,” Virelli said. “The choice of the voters prevails.” Virelli said a complaint is one of the few options Warren has if he wants to keep his job. Part of Warren’s argument in the complaint is that the Florida Constitution limits removal to actual inability or inability to perform the task and breach of a legal duty. “Warren is being punished for what he said, not what he did,” Virelli said. Shortly after Warren was suspended, his office’s communications chief was told she had to resign and be paid for the entire month — or be fired on the spot. Melanie Snow-Waxler, who began her role with the state’s attorney’s office in May, was fired Aug. 12. “This illegal firing is part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation,” her attorney, Ryan Barrack, said in a statement this week. DeSantis and Warren are ideological opposites who have publicly clashed on issues such as abortion, Covid restrictions, criminal justice and transgender rights. In June, the day the Dobbs vs. Jackson The ruling was issued, effectively ending the federal right to access abortion, Warren joined dozens of prosecutors across the country in signing a pledge to “refrain from using limited resources of the criminal justice system to criminalize personal medical decisions.” In 2021, Warren signed a similar joint statement with other elected attorneys general, affirming that health care decisions should be “private discretion” and saying they would not use their office to “advance the criminalization of health care that affirms gender or transsexuals’. The DeSantis administration has pursued aggressive policies to increasingly restrict medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. just last week, the state barred people from using Medicare coverage to help pay for gender-affirming care. Florida to ban Medicaid coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care Since Warren’s suspension, he and DeSantis have been at odds over the nature of the suspension. While Warren described his suspension as “temporary” in his filing, DeSantis’ office said Warren is no longer the solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County after the governor appointed Susan Lopez, a Republican judge who supported Warren’s opponent in 2016.

title: “Andrew Warren Fired By Gov. Desantis For Refusing To Prosecute Abortion Crimes Sues For Reinstatement Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “Edna Murray”

A Florida attorney general has sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a bid to reinstate him after he was fired from office for pledging not to prosecute cases stemming from Florida’s 15-week abortion ban and potential bans on care that confirms gender. Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren (D) argued that his Aug. 4 suspension was unlawful on First Amendment grounds and called his removal “retaliation” by DeSantis against a critic and political opponent, according to a federal complaint filed by was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Florida. DeSantis suspends Democratic attorney-elect who signed bond on abortion cases In a video message, Warren said that in addition to violating his free speech rights, DeSantis violated Florida law. “He violated the Florida Constitution by removing me from office without any legal justification, rejecting the results of a fair and free election,” Warren said. DeSantis’ office dismissed Warren’s federal complaint as “baseless.” “It is not surprising that Warren, who was suspended for refusing to follow the law, would file a legally meritless lawsuit challenging his suspension. We look forward to responding to the court,” a spokesperson for DeSantis said in a statement. Warren has been in office since 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 with more than 53 percent of the vote. DeSandis’ suspension of Warren and replacing him with a person of his choice sets a troubling tone for democracy in Florida, Louis Virelli, a law professor at Stetson University Law School, told The Washington Post. “One small step from here is if I, as governor, don’t think a state attorney is tough enough on a particular crime, I’ll replace you with a person I prefer,” Virelli said. “The choice of the voters prevails.” Virelli said a complaint is one of the few options Warren has if he wants to keep his job. Part of Warren’s argument in the complaint is that the Florida Constitution limits removal to actual inability or inability to perform the task and breach of a legal duty. “Warren is being punished for what he said, not what he did,” Virelli said. Shortly after Warren was suspended, his office’s communications chief was told she had to resign and be paid for the entire month — or be fired on the spot. Melanie Snow-Waxler, who began her role with the state’s attorney’s office in May, was fired Aug. 12. “This illegal firing is part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation,” her attorney, Ryan Barrack, said in a statement this week. DeSantis and Warren are ideological opposites who have publicly clashed on issues such as abortion, Covid restrictions, criminal justice and transgender rights. In June, the day the Dobbs vs. Jackson The ruling was issued, effectively ending the federal right to access abortion, Warren joined dozens of prosecutors across the country in signing a pledge to “refrain from using limited resources of the criminal justice system to criminalize personal medical decisions.” In 2021, Warren signed a similar joint statement with other elected attorneys general, affirming that health care decisions should be “private discretion” and saying they would not use their office to “advance the criminalization of health care that affirms gender or transsexuals’. The DeSantis administration has pursued aggressive policies to increasingly restrict medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. just last week, the state barred people from using Medicare coverage to help pay for gender-affirming care. Florida to ban Medicaid coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care Since Warren’s suspension, he and DeSantis have been at odds over the nature of the suspension. While Warren described his suspension as “temporary” in his filing, DeSantis’ office said Warren is no longer the solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County after the governor appointed Susan Lopez, a Republican judge who supported Warren’s opponent in 2016.

title: “Andrew Warren Fired By Gov. Desantis For Refusing To Prosecute Abortion Crimes Sues For Reinstatement Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-04” author: “Evelyn Cox”

A Florida attorney general has sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a bid to reinstate him after he was fired from office for pledging not to prosecute cases stemming from Florida’s 15-week abortion ban and potential bans on care that confirms gender. Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren (D) argued that his Aug. 4 suspension was unlawful on First Amendment grounds and called his removal “retaliation” by DeSantis against a critic and political opponent, according to a federal complaint filed by was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Florida. DeSantis suspends Democratic attorney-elect who signed bond on abortion cases In a video message, Warren said that in addition to violating his free speech rights, DeSantis violated Florida law. “He violated the Florida Constitution by removing me from office without any legal justification, rejecting the results of a fair and free election,” Warren said. DeSantis’ office dismissed Warren’s federal complaint as “baseless.” “It is not surprising that Warren, who was suspended for refusing to follow the law, would file a legally meritless lawsuit challenging his suspension. We look forward to responding to the court,” a spokesperson for DeSantis said in a statement. Warren has been in office since 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 with more than 53 percent of the vote. DeSandis’ suspension of Warren and replacing him with a person of his choice sets a troubling tone for democracy in Florida, Louis Virelli, a law professor at Stetson University Law School, told The Washington Post. “One small step from here is if I, as governor, don’t think a state attorney is tough enough on a particular crime, I’ll replace you with a person I prefer,” Virelli said. “The choice of the voters prevails.” Virelli said a complaint is one of the few options Warren has if he wants to keep his job. Part of Warren’s argument in the complaint is that the Florida Constitution limits removal to actual inability or inability to perform the task and breach of a legal duty. “Warren is being punished for what he said, not what he did,” Virelli said. Shortly after Warren was suspended, his office’s communications chief was told she had to resign and be paid for the entire month — or be fired on the spot. Melanie Snow-Waxler, who began her role with the state’s attorney’s office in May, was fired Aug. 12. “This illegal firing is part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation,” her attorney, Ryan Barrack, said in a statement this week. DeSantis and Warren are ideological opposites who have publicly clashed on issues such as abortion, Covid restrictions, criminal justice and transgender rights. In June, the day the Dobbs vs. Jackson The ruling was issued, effectively ending the federal right to access abortion, Warren joined dozens of prosecutors across the country in signing a pledge to “refrain from using limited resources of the criminal justice system to criminalize personal medical decisions.” In 2021, Warren signed a similar joint statement with other elected attorneys general, affirming that health care decisions should be “private discretion” and saying they would not use their office to “advance the criminalization of health care that affirms gender or transsexuals’. The DeSantis administration has pursued aggressive policies to increasingly restrict medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. just last week, the state barred people from using Medicare coverage to help pay for gender-affirming care. Florida to ban Medicaid coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care Since Warren’s suspension, he and DeSantis have been at odds over the nature of the suspension. While Warren described his suspension as “temporary” in his filing, DeSantis’ office said Warren is no longer the solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County after the governor appointed Susan Lopez, a Republican judge who supported Warren’s opponent in 2016.

title: “Andrew Warren Fired By Gov. Desantis For Refusing To Prosecute Abortion Crimes Sues For Reinstatement Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Kara Edge”

A Florida attorney general has sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a bid to reinstate him after he was fired from office for pledging not to prosecute cases stemming from Florida’s 15-week abortion ban and potential bans on care that confirms gender. Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren (D) argued that his Aug. 4 suspension was unlawful on First Amendment grounds and called his removal “retaliation” by DeSantis against a critic and political opponent, according to a federal complaint filed by was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Florida. DeSantis suspends Democratic attorney-elect who signed bond on abortion cases In a video message, Warren said that in addition to violating his free speech rights, DeSantis violated Florida law. “He violated the Florida Constitution by removing me from office without any legal justification, rejecting the results of a fair and free election,” Warren said. DeSantis’ office dismissed Warren’s federal complaint as “baseless.” “It is not surprising that Warren, who was suspended for refusing to follow the law, would file a legally meritless lawsuit challenging his suspension. We look forward to responding to the court,” a spokesperson for DeSantis said in a statement. Warren has been in office since 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 with more than 53 percent of the vote. DeSandis’ suspension of Warren and replacing him with a person of his choice sets a troubling tone for democracy in Florida, Louis Virelli, a law professor at Stetson University Law School, told The Washington Post. “One small step from here is if I, as governor, don’t think a state attorney is tough enough on a particular crime, I’ll replace you with a person I prefer,” Virelli said. “The choice of the voters prevails.” Virelli said a complaint is one of the few options Warren has if he wants to keep his job. Part of Warren’s argument in the complaint is that the Florida Constitution limits removal to actual inability or inability to perform the task and breach of a legal duty. “Warren is being punished for what he said, not what he did,” Virelli said. Shortly after Warren was suspended, his office’s communications chief was told she had to resign and be paid for the entire month — or be fired on the spot. Melanie Snow-Waxler, who began her role with the state’s attorney’s office in May, was fired Aug. 12. “This illegal firing is part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation,” her attorney, Ryan Barrack, said in a statement this week. DeSantis and Warren are ideological opposites who have publicly clashed on issues such as abortion, Covid restrictions, criminal justice and transgender rights. In June, the day the Dobbs vs. Jackson The ruling was issued, effectively ending the federal right to access abortion, Warren joined dozens of prosecutors across the country in signing a pledge to “refrain from using limited resources of the criminal justice system to criminalize personal medical decisions.” In 2021, Warren signed a similar joint statement with other elected attorneys general, affirming that health care decisions should be “private discretion” and saying they would not use their office to “advance the criminalization of health care that affirms gender or transsexuals’. The DeSantis administration has pursued aggressive policies to increasingly restrict medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. just last week, the state barred people from using Medicare coverage to help pay for gender-affirming care. Florida to ban Medicaid coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care Since Warren’s suspension, he and DeSantis have been at odds over the nature of the suspension. While Warren described his suspension as “temporary” in his filing, DeSantis’ office said Warren is no longer the solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County after the governor appointed Susan Lopez, a Republican judge who supported Warren’s opponent in 2016.