Florida - Wednesday January 25, 2023: Suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren Wednesday sent a letter to Governor DeSantis “respectfully” requesting him to re-instate him as Hillsborough County’s duly elected state attorney.
In his letter Warren challenged the Governor to faithfully execute the laws of the state he swore to uphold by re-instating him.
Last Friday, in remarks to reports following the Federal Court's decision, Warren hinted that this formal request to the Governor for re-instatement would be his next step.
"Although a Judge said he couldn’t put me back into the office to which I was twice elected, a Federal Judge confirms that the suspension was illegal," said Warren. "The Judge wrote, quote, if the facts matter the Governor can simply rescind the suspension.”
"In his Wednesday letter to the Governor Warren wrote - "Duty requires you to accept the Court's findings that the Executive Order is illegal, even if that finding is perhaps unwelcome."
DeSantis suspended Warren last spring because Warren said he would not pursue criminal charges against seekers or providers of abortion or gender transition treatments. But Federal Judge Robert Hinkle wrote that he could not grant Warren’s request for re-instatement because the federal court is barred from interfering with decisions taken by state officials acting on issues of state law.
“As the Judge wrote, and I quote, the record includes not a hint of misconduct by Mr. Warren. The assertion that Mr. Warren neglected his duty or was incompetent is incorrect. This factual issue is not close.”
Governor DeSantis has not yet responded to Warren’s letter. “Let’s see if the Governor actually believes in the rule of law," said Warren last Friday at the conclusion of his remarks. "Let’s see what kind of man the Governor actually is. This is not over.”