The Florida State Supreme Court sided with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and denied a bid by a Democratic state attorney to be reinstated after she was removed from office last year.
The justices voted 6-1 Thursday to deny State Attorney Monique Worrell’s request to be reinstated after she was suspended from her Orlando-based district last August.
The Supreme Court justices who denied her request said they disagreed with her arguments that DeSantis’ reasons for suspending her were too vague or that her removal infringed on her legal rights to prosecutorial discretion. The Associated Press reported.
At a press conference last year, DeSantis said he was suspending Worrell from 9th Judicial Circuit for alleged “neglect of duty”.
She was elected to serve in 2020 and ran for re-election in 2024. The governor said her administration of criminal justice was “clearly and fundamentally derelict so as to constitute dereliction of duty and incompetence.”
Worrell said his suspension was politically motivated, as it occurred when DeSantis was still on a presidential campaign. She said she was doing her job as she saw fit and that the state constitution only allows someone to be suspected of egregious misconduct, the AP reported.
The news service noted that five of the seven Florida Supreme Court justices were appointed by DeSantis.
Judge Jorge Labarga, appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2009, said state prosecutors must have discretion to address challenges in their communities since Florida is a large state.
This isn’t the first time DeSantis has removed a state attorney. In 2022, he suspended Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren for “neglect of duty” after Warren refused to enforce a ban on abortion and transgender-related surgeries.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
