Do you have any August rituals? Something to mark the last month of summer? It seems Ron DeSantis has one: suspending democratically-elected state attorneys for politically-motivated reasons. In August of last year, DeSantis removed state attorney Andrew Warren from Hillsborough County, because Warren dared to stand up for trans and abortion rights. This year, DeSantis moved to Orange and Osceola counties, where Monique Worrell–Florida’s only Black female state attorney–most recently won her seat with 67% of the vote (DeSantis won in the midterms with 59%, but who’s counting). Her crime, according to DeSantis? Not prosecuting criminals, despite that lack of enough, you know, evidence. Seriously, he’s charging her with “neglect of duty.” A few lowlights:
DeSantis is mad that Worrell is following due process: Ron DeSantis suspended another democratically elected Florida state attorney on Tuesday in an extreme move that critics are calling politically motivated. Monique Worrell was Florida’s only Black female state attorney until DeSantis announced her suspension for what he claimed was “neglect of duty.” DeSantis, who is currently running for president in 2024, criticized Worrell for being too lenient on criminals. He has specifically called out her failure to charge a teenager accused of shooting and killing a 9-year-old girl and two others in a gang-related incident in 2022. Worrell has said that witnesses in the case gave disjointed testimony and could not identify the suspect in a photo lineup, noting that the gunman was wearing a mask at the time of the incident.
Sheriffs (from unrelated counties) joined the press conference: In announcing the suspension, DeSantis held a press conference where he was joined by two local sheriffs—neither of which, CNN notes, serves a county that overlaps with Worrell’s jurisdiction. At the press conference, one of those sheriffs turned the suspension into a meme, mocking Worell by holding up a photoshopped sign showing her in a burning cartoon room with a “this is fine” thought bubble above her head.
Worrell calls DeSantis a ‘weak dictator,’ love it: At her own press conference, Worrell suggested she intended to fight the suspension, saying, “I am a duly elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. And nothing done by a weak dictator can change that.” Critics have slammed the suspension as political, noting that Worrell served the liberal-leaning areas of Orange and Osceola counties and was elected to her role with 67% of the vote. Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Nikki Fried called the suspension “a political hit job.”
Shocker, the replacement attorney is ultra conservative: That Worrell will be replaced by Judge Andrew Bain, who is reportedly a member of the conservative Federalist Society and was not elected by voters to the position, has only added to that criticism. As Orlando Sentinel reporter Christopher Cann noted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Bain ranked last among Orange County criminal judges in a judicial-qualifications poll by the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, with respondents describing him as prosecution-biased.
But it’s not political: DeSantis’s decision to remove Worrell comes as his 2024 presidential campaign faces numerous challenges, including low poll numbers, reports of wealthy donors pausing their contributions, and an overhaul of campaign staff. DeSantis has maintained that his suspension of Worrell is a result of incompetence, claiming in a press release that her “practices and policies have too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct, thereby endangering the innocent civilians of Orange and Osceola counties. Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law,” DeSantis said in a press conference Tuesday morning. “One’s political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty.”
“One’s political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty.” You guys, he said that with a straight face!! To be fair, I think his face only has the one setting, but still! There’s so much packed into this latest stunt. Obviously the suspension is asinine, but it’s a repeat move from DeSantis. He raises the inanity this time by flanking himself at the press conference (what, no Twitter X Space?) with sheriffs who have no relation to the state attorney’s jurisdiction whatsoever. He might as well have rented a couple of sheriffs from Texas. The kicker for me, though, is the judge who’s already lined up to replace Worrell. It’s not just that he’s a Federalist Society conservative, that I’d expect. It’s that he’s ranked worst at his job! I laugh, but our entire criminal justice system is in shambles.
There are two main cases DeSantis cited in his condemnation of Worrell’s performance. I recommend this breakdown of them, because getting the details right is crucial to fairness, and ultimately justice. The article also includes what Monique Worrell has said on the record of why and how she’s made her decisions in each case, all of which I’m sure DeSantis has reviewed thoroughly. [insert eyeroll here]
Wow, the meatball is really on a roll. May I humbly suggest a different August ritual? Enjoy a refreshing, fattening Icee.
Today we mourn the loss of democracy. I am the duly-elected State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage. I will not be bullied by DeSantis or used as a tool in his failing and disastrous presidential campaign. pic.twitter.com/OVn4E1v54p
— Monique H. Worrell (@MoniqueHWorrell) August 9, 2023
“Everyone, Democrat, Republican, Independent, or otherwise should be concerned that here in the state of Florida one person can remove duly elected officials because they are not politically aligned, and that is exactly what an attack on democracy looks like.” https://t.co/7CCGLGqMst
— Monique H. Worrell (@MoniqueHWorrell) August 11, 2023
Photos are screenshots from YouTube and via Twitter
