Suspended Fla. Prosecutor Sues Gov. DeSantis

Facts

• Suspended Democratic Hillsborough County Fla. State Attorney Andrew Warren is fighting his Aug. 4 suspension by suing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom Warren claims illegally removed him from his post.
• In a federal court complaint filed Wed., Warren accuses DeSantis of issuing the suspension without legal justification and in retaliation to his opposition of the governor's policies, citing a violation of his First Amendment rights.
• DeSantis cited "neglect of duty" when suspending Warren after the prosecutor said he wouldn't pursue charges against violators of Fla.'s 15-week abortion ban or bans on certain types of gender-transition treatments for minors.
• Warren, who was re-elected in 2020 with more than 53% of the vote, signed a pledge not to use the legal system to "criminalize personal medical decisions" in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and a similar one last year regarding gender-affirming health care for transgender people.
• The attorney claims that his pledge was a "value statement," and not an official commitment on how he'll handle cases.

Sources: Washington Post, FOX News, New York Post, and CNN.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Daily Kos. DeSantis might think he can abolish anything he doesn't like, including a prosecutor he disagrees with, but people like Warren still have freedom of speech and a right to their opinion. This lawsuit is a step in the right direction to countering DeSantis' dictatorial attitude.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. Places like Florida are lucky to have a Republican gov. willing to stand up to woke politicians like Warren, who was suspended for not enforcing laws he doesn't like. DeSantis is merely performing the duties of a duly-elected gov. with the power to remove people when they won't do their jobs.