Florida prosecutor testifies against DeSantis in wrongful suspension case

A suspended Florida state prosecutor testified on Tuesday as the first witness in a case he brought against Governor Ron DeSantis, claiming the governor suspended him over his political beliefs.

Andrew Warren, a state attorney in Hillsborough County, filed the suit against DeSantis after the governor suspended him in August. Upon suspending Warren, DeSantis cited a letter written by Warren earlier this year saying he would not prosecute any cases related to the state’s abortion laws and restrictions on gender-affirming procedures.

Warren joined a wave of other officials in red states across the country who signed similar pledges after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June.

Warren’s testimony, which lasted three hours on the opening day of the trial against DeSantis, included claims that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was suspended, and that he was not allowed to review the governor’s suspension order before being escorted from his office.

The twice-elected Democratic prosecutor told reporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday, “there’s so much more at stake than my job. We’re not just fighting for me to do the job that I was elected to do. We are fighting for the rights of voters across Florida to have the elected officials of their choice. We’re fighting for free speech, the integrity of our elections and the very values of our democracy.”

DeSantis’ legal team has argued that the suspension was not a violation of Warren’s First Amendment rights because his signing of the pledge not to prosecute certain cases was a public declaration of Warren’s stances as a prosecutor, not a civilian.

They have also argued that his refusal to prosecute the cases is “tantamount to a functional veto.”

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle is presiding over the trial, which is expected to wrap up before the end of the week.