Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he has taken the extraordinary step of removing Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren for refusing to enforce some of the state’s laws — including the recent 15-week abortion ban.
At a news conference before Hillsborough County sheriff’s officials, the Republican governor said Warren had “put himself publicly above the law” by saying he would not enforce some of Florida’s most controversial laws.
“State prosecutors have a duty to prosecute crimes as defined by Florida law, not choose which laws to enforce based on their personal agenda,” DeSantis said Thursday. “It is my duty to hold Florida’s elected officials to the highest standards for the people of Florida. I have great confidence that Judge Susan Lopez will lead the office through this transition and faithfully uphold the rule of law.
In the executive order removing Warren, DeSantis alleged that the 13th Judicial District Attorney General was working to “nullify laws passed by the people’s representatives” and actively refused to enforce certain state laws.
DeSantis noted that Warren, a Democrat, has put “in writing that he will not prosecute individuals who perform abortions in violation of Florida’s criminal laws to protect the life of the unborn child.”
At the news conference, several other local leaders expressed their disappointment with Warren’s decision not to prosecute certain cases, including Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, who said the state’s attorney “seems single-mindedly focused on empathizing with criminals and less interested in pursuing justice for victims of crime.”
“We have a governor who will protect us,” added Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco.
The Hillsborough prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democratic Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida’s first LGBTQ lawmaker, told The Daily Beast on Thursday that DeSantis’ decision to remove Warren was “disturbing.”
An outspoken critic of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Smith explained that “it speaks volumes that DeSantis just removed a state attorney who was twice elected by the people of Florida simply because he is unwilling to send women — and doctors — who they perform abortions in prison.
“This is an abuse of power to punish and retaliate against anyone who opposes his extreme agenda,” Smith said. “What we’re seeing is that this administration is turning into an authoritarian regime. They are taking away our freedoms one group at a time and they should be scaring every Florida resident.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is vying for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to run against DeSantis, called Warren’s removal “a politically motivated attack on a widely respected state attorney democratically elected to exercise prosecutorial discretion.”
“Ron DeSantis is a pathetic bully,” Fried said in a statement Thursday.
Warren, who was up for re-election in 2020, has been tight-lipped about her views on some of Florida’s hottest legal issues, from the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill to abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned last month.
“I am disgusted to see the passage of the Don’t Say Gay bill,” Warren said in a statement in March. “At a time when our country needs to come together to solve important problems, this bill promotes bigotry and hatred — and our society already has enough of both.”
Last month, Warren was among a group of prosecutors across the country who signed a statement refusing to prosecute people “who seek, provide or support abortions.” The move came after DeSantis signed a bill in April limiting most abortions in the state after 15 weeks unless the pregnant woman is in a life-threatening situation.
Florida’s abortion law, which took effect in July, has no exceptions for incest, human trafficking or rape. Warren was the only Florida prosecutor to sign the letter, which was organized by the group Fair and Just Prosecution.
“As I have said before, I have put my hand on the Bible and sworn to defend the constitutions of the United States and Florida. The Florida Constitution has a right to privacy that clearly covers abortion. While Tallahassee tries to circumvent the law, I will uphold the law and protect our freedom,” Warren said in a June 30 tweet.
While Warren serves his indefinite sentence, DeSantis has appointed Hillsborough Circuit Judge Susan Lopez to fill his post. Lopez previously served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for the 13th Judicial District for more than 15 years.
“I have great respect for our state laws and understand the important role the state attorney plays in keeping our community safe and enforcing our laws,” Lopez said in a statement. “I want to thank the governor for his vote of confidence in me and I promise that I will faithfully fulfill the duties of this office.”
Democratic state Rep. Anna Escamani said in a statement to The Daily Beast that Warren’s ouster was “a crude political attack on a duly elected state attorney who has publicly stated that she will not follow Gov. Ron DeSantis’ extreme anti-abortion and anti-anti-abortion -LGBTQ+ program.”
“It’s also important to emphasize that Florida currently has no laws punishing pregnant people or transgender people, so what the governor said today during his announcement is sensational and inaccurate,” she added. “But it’s good to know that DeSantis thinks women should be arrested for terminating their own pregnancies — that’s important for voters to know.”
Add Comment