Prosecutor suspended by DeSantis testifies as lawsuit begins: ‘It is important for me to speak out’

[HARK!]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida prosecutor suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis opened his federal civil trial against the governor Tuesday with testimony that alleged his removal was based on his personal political positions on abortion and transgender rights.

The suspension came as DeSantis, a potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate, joined a wave of Republican opposition to progressive prosecutors who exercise discretion over whether to charge people with what they deem to be low-level crimes.

Prosecutor suspended by DeSantis testifies as lawsuit begins: ‘It is important for me to speak out’

A Florida prosecutor suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis opened his federal civil trial against the governor Tuesday with testimony that alleged his removal was based on his personal political positions on abortion and transgender rights.

www.washingtontimes.com

Does Warren believe that killing babies is a low level crime?

 

[KCfromNC]

Does Warren believe that killing babies is a low level crime?

And more importantly, has he stopped beating his wife yet.

Come on, this is the kind of attempt at a smear job which just makes the post look like there's no legitimate objection to what the guy is claiming.

 

[HARK!]

And more importantly, has he stopped beating his wife yet.

Come on, this is the kind of attempt at a smear job which just makes the post look like there's no legitimate objection to what the guy is claiming.

My question isn't begging the question.

I'll wait for someone who knows the answer.

 

[KCfromNC]

My question isn't begging the question.

I'll wait for someone who knows the answer.

Is this an open question about any prosecutor at any level of state or federal government, or is there some particular reason we needed a thread focused on this particular person?

 

[HARK!]

Is this an open question about any prosecutor at any level of state or federal government, or is there some particular reason we needed a thread focused on this particular person?

This doesn't answer my question.

That's OK. I'll wait for someone who can answer.

 

[NxNW]

Does Warren believe that killing babies is a low level crime?

Has he made any statements to that effect?

 

[HARK!]

Has he made any statements to that effect?

DeSantis suspended Warren on Aug. 4, citing his signing of a pledge not to prosecute abortion-related cases after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling leaving abortion issues to the states.


DeSantis and his lawyers have argued that pledge, and another against prosecuting doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors,

Andrew Warren makes case against suspension in Day One of trial against Gov. DeSantis

Andrew Warren says Gov. DeSantis suspended democracy and violated his right to free speech.

floridapolitics.com

 

[NxNW]

DeSantis suspended Warren on Aug. 4, citing his signing of a pledge not to prosecute abortion-related cases after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling leaving abortion issues to the states.

I mean, has he made any statements to the effect that killing babies is a low level crime?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Does Warren believe that killing babies is a low level crime?

"Questions that will not be asked of anyone at trial" for $1000, Alex.

 

[KCfromNC]

This doesn't answer my question.

We're still at the stage of "is there any point in answering such a biased and misleading question", at least until there's any shred of evidence to suggest otherwise.

And I guess also at the "man, if this is how lame the attempts to smear the guy is, maybe his claims surrounding his firing do have merit" part of the discussion.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Day One.

Warren contends that DeSantis’ move to suspend him in early August violated his First Amendment rights, and in the trial’s opening day he testified for more than three hours, including recounting the day he was suspended. On that day, Warren said he was met at his office by Larry Keefe, the governor’s public safety czar, who was accompanied by sheriff’s deputies and a demand that he leave immediately.

Keefe acknowledged several times on the stand that he never called Warren directly or communicated with anyone in Warren’s office to ask about the prosecutor’s statements. Warren and two top officials still working in the state attorney’s office said there wasn’t a blanket policy against prosecuting abortion or gender-affirming cases and they have not handled any such prosecutions. Warren’s team even noted a written policy that tells prosecutors to evaluate individual cases.

 

[Don't Panic]

Day One.

Warren contends that DeSantis’ move to suspend him in early August violated his First Amendment rights, and in the trial’s opening day he testified for more than three hours, including recounting the day he was suspended. On that day, Warren said he was met at his office by Larry Keefe, the governor’s public safety czar, who was accompanied by sheriff’s deputies and a demand that he leave immediately.

Keefe acknowledged several times on the stand that he never called Warren directly or communicated with anyone in Warren’s office to ask about the prosecutor’s statements. Warren and two top officials still working in the state attorney’s office said there wasn’t a blanket policy against prosecuting abortion or gender-affirming cases and they have not handled any such prosecutions. Warren’s team even noted a written policy that tells prosecutors to evaluate individual cases.

Mixed thoughts, did he outright refuse to prosecute certain lawful crimes ala refusing to issue marriage licenses when legal, or was this a statement relating to his right of office regarding prosecutorial discretion?

 

[rjs330]

Free speech issue? He literally said he would not enforce the law. Something he is paid to do by the state.

Prosecutors do not have the right to say I'm not prosecuting a certain law without facing consequences because they are not doing thier job.

It's one thing to say there is not enough evidence in a particular case in order to prosecute it, and quite another to say I'm flat not going to prosecute any of these cases. Hes thumbing his nose at the state despite the fact he was hired to prosecute cases of violation of state law.

He deserved to be suspended. Yes I know that he didn't have a chance to refuse yet. But if you told your boss that you were going to refuse to do something if they asked you to then you'd deserve to be suspended too. And I'm not talking g about some odd ball request like your boss telling you to rape and pillage.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Free speech issue? He literally said he would not enforce the law. Something he is paid to do by the state.

Did he not enforce a law? Or did he engage in protected speech?

Prosecutors do not have the right to say I'm not prosecuting a certain law without facing consequences because they are not doing thier job.

Do you have a Supreme Court case to cite that carves out this exception to the First Amendment?

 

[rjs330]

Did he not enforce a law? Or did he engage in protected speech?



Do you have a Supreme Court case to cite that carves out this exception to the First Amendment?

I don't believe it's a first Amendment issue. But I guess we will let the court decide. To me it's more of an insubordination issue.

 

[essentialsaltes]

In Andrew Warren suspension trial, Gov. DeSantis officials answer: What does ‘woke’ mean?

Ryan Newman, DeSantis’ General Counsel, echoed the part about systemic injustices, specifically regarding the criminal justice system.

Asked what “woke” means more generally, Newman said “it would be the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.”

Newman added that DeSantis doesn’t believe there are systemic injustices in the U.S.

 

[rambot]

Does Warren believe that killing babies is a low level crime?

How is that question, germane to the conversation? I don't see anything about killing babies in his CV

 

[HARK!]

How is that question, germane to the conversation? I don't see anything about killing babies in his CV

It's in the OP.

 

[rambot]

It's in the OP.

Well, I mean the PHRASE is, but it isn't in the news article.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

DeSantis suspended Warren on Aug. 4, citing his signing of a pledge not to prosecute abortion-related cases after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling leaving abortion issues to the states.

...and that was Warren's crucial mistake.

There's a lot of emotionally charged rhetoric given the nature of the topic...I get it, but let's boil it down to brass tacks and consider the job the person is there to perform.

A prosecutor is there to do a specific job, and that job is tied to following the law of the state (whether one agrees with their state's laws or not)

Warren claiming they were going to refuse to prosecute certain types of cases isn't unlike Kim Davis in KY claiming that she was refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples because she didn't agree with the ruling that said they were allowed to get one, and the rogue sheriffs in Oregon that claimed "I'm not gonna enforce the new gun laws that I disagree with"

Warren's in the wrong for the same reason Kim Davis and those sheriffs were wrong... and Warren shouldn't pretend to be a victim or martyr for openly declaring intent to neglect ones duty... just like it was silly for Kim Davis to claim martyr status for doing the same.