Judge Denies Andrew Warren Request to be Reinstated

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – A federal judge denied suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren’s request to be reinstated following oral arguments Monday.

Warren’s suspension will reportedly continue as the case prepares to go to trial.

Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Warren after claims he neglected to do his job and vowed not to enforce certain abortion laws or potential laws related to sex change operations. Warren has filed a lawsuit against DeSantis claiming he was illegally suspended.

“Today is an important day in an important fight for democracy—our democracy,” Warren said. “I’ve spent my career walking into court as a prosecutor, fighting for victims. Today, I went in as a plaintiff, fighting for democracy itself.”

Warren believes the governor removed him from office because of policy differences and said the court should decide whether Warren neglected his duty as state attorney.

“We look forward to a trial on the merits. As the judge said, we look forward to the governor having the opportunity to come into court—where facts and truth matter—and try to justify what he did,” he said.

Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said they are pleased that the court denied Warren’s request for a preliminary injunction.

“The Governor is entrusted by the people of Florida to utilize his constitutional powers and may suspend elected officials in Florida who refuse to enforce the law,” Griffin said.

The governor’s executive order said Warren neglected his duty to perform his job. DeSantis said Warren instituted a policy during his current term against prosecuting crimes where the initial encounter between law enforcement and the defendant results from a non-criminal violation in connection with riding a bicycle or a pedestrian violation.

“State Attorneys have a duty to prosecute crimes as defined in Florida law, not to pick and choose which laws to enforce based on his personal agenda,” DeSantis said earlier in August.

State Attorney Who Replaced ‘Soros-Backed’ Andrew Warren Reversing Non-Enforcement of Resisting Arrest

Warren has previously been criticized for being “backed by Soros.” When the Tampa Bay Times asked Warren in 2020 if George Soros helped fund his campaign, Warren replied, “We think so.”