Former State Attorney Andrew Warren files new appeal against DeSantis
TAMPA, Fla. - Andrew Warren has filed a notice of appeal in his federal lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis over DeSantis’s suspension of him last August.
Today’s marked the next step in Warren’s legal battle with the Governor over free speech, prosecutorial discretion, and the rights of voters to choose elected officials.
This January, Judge Robert Hinkle in the Northern District of Florida, found that DeSantis broke federal law by suspending Warren in retaliation for his speech on matters of public importance and for his association with the Democratic Party, which violated Warren’s First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.
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Judge Hinkle also found that DeSantis violated the Florida Constitution because his motivation in suspending Warren was to bring down a reform prosecutor and the political benefit that would result. The court, however, wrote that it lacked the authority to reinstate Warren. It called on the Governor to rescind the suspension "if the facts matter."
"The idea that the Governor can get away with breaking federal and state law should offend anyone who believes in freedom—free speech, free elections, and that no one is above the law," Warren said. "We’ve proven that DeSantis broke the law, and I’ll keep fighting until I’m back doing the work that the people elected me to do."
The appeal will be heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, based in Atlanta.
A date for which the appeal is heard has not been set and will be determined according to the schedule of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Because of the ongoing litigation, Warren and his legal team cannot provide any more details.