The court battle between suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren and Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to play out.
On Monday morning, Warren hosted a Zoom press conference with Florida Democratic Party chairperson Nikki Fried.
While he said that he is focused on his case for reinstatement, he did not confirm if he鈥檇 run for reelection this November.
Warren was ousted from his position by DeSantis in 2022, after signing statements that opposed laws criminalizing abortion and gender-affirming care. He then filed a lawsuit, arguing that the removal violated his First Amendment rights.
Warren on the grounds that the governor would simply suspend him again. But his announcement came before a recent court ruling that opened the door for his reinstatement.
Since then, Warren鈥檚 attorneys have indicated his run for reelection could . Warren and his team have asked the federal appeals court to expedite returning the case to the North Florida district court.
However, state lawyers are calling on the federal appeals court to . Their petition, filed last Thursday, calls for an 鈥渆n banc鈥� or a hearing before the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, rather than the three-judge panel which issued the first ruling. The process could delay the outcome even further.
鈥淥bviously, there's a concern here because there's an election coming up,鈥� said Warren. 鈥淎nd more importantly, it's been 18 months that the voters have been denied an elected official that they chose.鈥�
Warren was elected as state attorney as a Democrat in 2016 and reelected in 2020. After , DeSantis appointed former county judge Suzy Lopez, a Republican, for the remainder of the term. Lopez is seeking a full term.
鈥淭he disruption was caused when the elected state attorney in Hillsborough County on August 4, 2022, was illegally removed from office for a political stunt,鈥� Warren said during the Zoom call. 鈥淎nd that's not my opinion. That's what two different federal courts have now found.鈥�
Warren was referring to the initial ruling last January made by a North Florida district court judge who agreed that Warren鈥檚. However, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle said that his court did 鈥� to reinstate Warren.鈥�
The 11th Circuit, in the most recent ruling on Warren鈥檚 case, and found that the federal court does have the power to remedy federal violations of law.
The federal court 鈥渋nstructed Hinkle to hold further proceedings鈥� in which DeSantis must show the suspension was based on Warren鈥檚 performance as a prosecutor and not his political advocacy.
Warren had also filed a case with the state's highest court last year, which , saying he had waited to long to file.
鈥淚 spent my career walking into court as a prosecutor fighting for victims, but for nearly 18 months now, I've been a plaintiff fighting for democracy, to make sure that elections still have meaning, to make sure that no one can steal the people's votes, or silence their voice, and to make sure that we don't need permission slips to exercise our constitutional rights,鈥� said Warren.
When asked if the Florida Democratic Party will push another candidate for state attorney, Fried replied that there was 鈥渘o doubt鈥� that a Democrat will win in November.
鈥淲e are waiting to see the outcome of this, but we will be mounting a strong Democratic candidate in that (2024) race,鈥� said Fried.
鈥淥bviously, my hope is that this comes through quickly and it is Andrew. But certainly we are not going to let the people of Hillsborough County not have a choice of who they vote for in November.鈥�
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