Florida - Tuesday August 1, 2023: The American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section has chosen suspended Florida State Attorney Andrew Warren to receive the Curtin-Maleng Minister of Justice Award.
The award is given to a prosecutor who embodies the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, particularly “the duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict.” The recepient must exemplify the following principles:
- the prosecutor’s obligation is to protect the innocent as well as to convict the guilty.
- the prosecutor must guard the rights of the accused as well as enforce the rights of the public.
- the prosecutor’s commitment to the legal and ethical standards must be unwavering.
Warren will receive the award this coming Friday August 4th at the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver. Ironically, this Friday is the one-year anniversary of the day Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Warren from his position as the elected State Attorney of Hillsborough County.
The Governor said Warren has "put himself above the law" by refusing to enforce laws prohibiting sex changes for minors, or limiting abortion. Warren had signed a statement, along with other prosecutors nationwide, saying he would not pursue criminal charges against seekers or providers of abortion or gender transition treatments.
This past January a federal judge ruled the suspension violated both the Florida and US Constitutions, however the Judge said he could not order the Governor to re-instate Warren to his office because federal law prevents him from interfering with state law.
Warren has appealed that decision to Eleventh Circuit and he is still awaiting the outcome.
The ABA release naming Warren as a recipient of the award describes him as:
Andrew H. Warren, state attorney of Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County. Warren heads an office of approximately 130 prosecutors and 300 total employees whose mission is to build a safer community while promoting justice and fairness for everyone in the criminal justice system. Since taking office in January 2017, Warren has been tough on violent criminals, fraudsters and repeat offenders who threaten neighborhood safety. He has utilized innovative reforms and created successful diversion programs to hold low-level offenders accountable while steering them away from the downward spiral of the system, including civil citation programs for juveniles and adults.
Warren has focused on treatment, prevention and rehabilitation for offenders with substance abuse and mental illness to reduce recidivism rather than further the revolving door of the criminal justice system. He has also minimized poverty traps that criminalize people because they are poor and has embraced data-driven approaches that improve safety, cut crime and save taxpayer dollars.
Warren previously served as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. After initially prosecuting street crime in Washington, D.C., he spent the majority of his career with the DOJ prosecuting complex financial fraud all across the country. As a prosecutor, Warren earned multiple accolades from the Justice Department and federal law enforcement agencies, including the 2013 Attorney General Award for Trial Litigation. He has lectured and served on panels across the United States and abroad regarding criminal justice, and he was an instructor at the Justice Department’s national training center. The Gainesville, Florida, native earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University and a law degree from Columbia Law School. Following law school, he clerked in federal district court in San Francisco and then practiced complex criminal and civil litigation with an international law firm in New York and Washington, D.C.
Also honored by the ABA with the same award is Erek Barron, the 49th United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. Since October 2021, Barron has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for Maryland, where he oversees the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the U.S. in the state. He supervises an office of approximately 98 assistant U.S. attorneys and 73 support personnel who handle a high volume of cases including national security threats, domestic and international terrorism, organized crime, financial and health care fraud and civil rights violations.