But neither offered a reason to reinstate Warren, giving DeSantis a legal win.
DeSantis communications director Taryn Fenske called it “a victory for the governor and a victory for the people of Florida.” Nonetheless, Hinkle’s 59-page warrant criticizes the actions of DeSantis and his associates, the case, and the facts they brought to justice.
“The file contains no evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Warren,” Hinkle wrote. “As far as these records reflect, he conscientiously and competently carried out the work for which he was elected, just as he told electors he would do… Allegations that Mr. Warren was neglectful of his duty or was incompetent, is wrong.”
Although Hinkle found no wrongdoing on Warren’s part, he concluded that it was a matter of state.
It is now up to the Florida Senate to permanently remove Warren from office. The state legislature is dominated by the GOP, which won a large majority in November, and Republican lawmakers have rarely opposed DeSantis’ will.
DeSantis’ decision to suspend the two-year attorney general in August This appalled many, who saw it as an overstatement by the governor. One of Warren’s lawyers called it a “political hit job.”
Warren repeated the allegations Friday during a brief press conference where she asked no questions. He called the suspension “a political stunt, a cheap trick”. “It’s not over yet,” he said, but didn’t elaborate.
“The truth is, for the past six years, I’ve been a pragmatic, forward-thinking prosecutor who represents my own vision of criminal justice in the purple district I’ve so proudly served,” Warren said. “But DeSantis and his associates don’t care about the truth.”
The popular Florida governor, who is up for re-election in November and widely believed to be the 2024 presidential nominee, justified the suspension by saying Warren had no right to “refuse to enforce Florida law.”
A Tampa-area attorney said he was being fined for exercising his right to free speech. Earlier this year he Signed Two Pledges, written by Fair and Just Prosecution, an advocacy organization for reform-minded prosecutors. In an affidavit, prosecutors pledged “not to criminalize reproductive health decisions.” Second report Similar assurances have been given to transgender social seekers.
Warren, who was the first witness in a five-day trial without a jury in Tallahassee in late November, said the issue baffled him.
“Like I’ve said from the start, there’s more at stake than my job,” Warren said at a news conference the morning the trial began. “We’re not fighting to do the job I was elected to do, I’m fighting for the right of voters across Florida to have the elected officials of their choice.”
In her testimony in court, Warren said the pledges she signed were never implemented or adopted as official policy. Two assistant prosecutors in Warren’s office supported this claim and testified that they did not view the statements as a reflection of actual policy. But Warren’s chief of staff said he thinks the promise to uphold abortion rights is a political guideline.
In announcing the suspension, DeSantis also noted Warren’s decision not to prosecute 67 protesters arrested for unlawful assembly during protests over the 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
After DeSantis signed a voter-approved constitutional amendment allowing them to register to vote, Warren was instrumental in restoring formerly incarcerated people the right to vote. The Attorney General also established an Office of Conviction Review to investigate claims of innocence.
DeSantis blasted the actions of an ‘awakened’ attorney.
The raid offered a rare glimpse into the inner workings of DeSantis and his associates. Sources and public records show that the governor’s office was delighted with the “completely free earned media” that emerged from the press conference announcing his suspension. Careful personnel tables estimated that the governor, who was running for re-election at the time, earned $2.4 million in media coverage.
While DeSantis said he asked his staff for reports from attorneys who are believed to be “taking the law into their own hands,” the testimony indicated that the focus has been on Warren from the start. Hinkle said the state made Warren “a target.”
Larry Keefe, a former US attorney in Florida, called DeSantis the state’s “security czar” and testified that he consulted with a handful of Republican prosecutors and sheriffs and the Tampa-area GOP. SpenderBut no detailed investigation has been carried out.
At the trial Warren’s attorneys he asked What do DeSantis employees mean when the governor calls people “woke up”?
“To me, someone who believes there are systemic injustices in the criminal justice system is on the basis that they can refuse to fully enforce and uphold the law,” said DeSantis general counsel Ryan Newman.
“It would be a belief that there are systemic injustices in American society and that there is a need to address them,” Newman added.
Hinkle concluded in his decision that DeSantis employees did not target Warren because of his behavior but because he disagreed with the governor on how to do his job. He noted that DeSantis appeared on Fox News hours after Warren’s suspension.
“In short, the most important motivation for a suspension is the interest in bringing down a reformed attorney,” he wrote, “when an attorney’s performance is inconsistent with the governor’s law-and-order agenda — and that thereof.” resulting political advantage.”
The judge also suggested that DeSantis Warren could return his job.
“If the facts are material, the governor may revoke the suspension,” he wrote.
Warren’s fellow Democrats chimed in, calling for freshman Orlando, Congressman Maxwell Frost, to be reinstated in the Republican Senate.
“DeSantis’ abuse of power must be reviewed before we proceed,” Frost wrote in a statement.
