Florida’s Supreme Court rejects state prosecutor’s bid to be reinstated after suspension by DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s highest court on Thursday rejected an effort by a suspended state attorney to get reinstated after she was removed from office last year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in his second suspension of a Democratic prosecutor.

Supreme Court justices voted 6-1 to deny a petition from suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell of the 9th Judicial Circuit, which serves metro Orlando. The majority of justices said they disagreed with her arguments that DeSantis’ reasons for suspending her were too vague or that the suspension infringed on her lawful exercise of prosecutorial discretion.

DeSantis claimed Worrell failed to prosecute crimes committed by minors and didn’t seek mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes, putting the public in danger in her central Florida district.

Worrell said her suspension was politically motivated since it took place while DeSantis was running for the GOP presidential nomination. She argued that the state constitution only allows for the suspension of an elected official for egregious misconduct, and that she was simply doing her job as she saw fit.

Five of the Supreme Court justices were appointed by DeSantis.

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