The Florida Supreme Court sided with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and rejected an attempt by a Democratic state attorney who was fired from his job last year to be reinstated.
In a 6-1 vote Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a request to reinstate State’s Attorney Monique Worrell, who was suspended from her position in the Orlando district last August.
The Supreme Court justices who rejected her request said they did not agree with her arguments that DeSantis’ reasons for suspending him were too vague or that her firing violated her legitimate right of prosecutorial discretion. The Associated Press reported.
During a press conference last year, DeSantis said he had suspended Worrell from 9.Number He was indicted in circuit court on suspicion of “dereliction of duty.”
She was elected in 2020 and was seeking reelection in 2024. The governor said her administration of criminal justice was “clearly and fundamentally negligent to the point that it constituted both dereliction of duty and incompetence.”
Worrell said the suspension was politically motivated because DeSantis was still campaigning for president, and that he was simply performing his duties as he saw fit, and that the state constitution allows it only in cases of gross allegations of misconduct, the Associated Press reported.
The news agency noted that five of the seven justices on the Florida Supreme Court were appointed by DeSantis.
Judge Jorge Labarga, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2009, said Florida is a large state and state prosecutors must have the discretion to address challenges in their communities.
This is not the first time Governor DeSantis has fired a state attorney: In 2022, he suspended Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren for “dereliction of duty” after he refused to enforce bans on abortion and gender reassignment surgery.
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