Florida judge rules against Ron DeSantis in firing of state attorney

According to a ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) broke the law when he dismissed Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren over vague accusations that he was not prosecuting crimes that the governor deemed important, reports the Miami Herald.

The controversial Florida Republican held a press conference last August to attack Warren and state that he was being relieved of his duties.

In a sharply-worded rebuke on Friday, Hinkle, a federal judge, bluntly stated DeSantis was in the wrong.

In his ruling, he wrote, "The allegation was false. Mr. Warren’s well-established policy, followed in every case by every prosecutor in the office, was to exercise prosecutorial discretion at every stage of every case. Any reasonable investigation would have confirmed this.”

But the report adds that Hinkle is powerless to force DeSantis to put Warren back in his old job, with the Herald's Dan Sullivan, writing the "U.S. Constitution prohibits a federal court from awarding the kind of relief Warren seeks, namely to be restored to office."

You can read more here.