A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Wednesday in which two voters and the group Florida Rising Together challenged Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell.
U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed issued a 15-page ruling stating that plaintiffs David Caicedo, Rajib Chowdhury, and Florida Rising Together did not have legal standing to pursue the lawsuit.
“Upon consideration, the court finds that plaintiffs failed to allege an invasion of a legally protected interest in defendant’s (DeSantis’) removal of Ms. Worrell from her position pursuant to the Florida Constitution,” Sneed wrote. “Instead, plaintiffs’ injury appears to be largely derivative of Ms. Worrell’s own injury in being removed before the conclusion of her term for alleged partisan reasons.”
Read: Florida Governor DeSantis Appoints Two To The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
DeSantis on Aug. 9 issued an executive order suspending Worrell, a Democrat who was elected in 2020 in the 9th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Orange and Osceola counties.
Among other things, the order alleged that Worrell’s policies prevented or discouraged assistant state attorneys from seeking minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses.
Attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center filed the lawsuit Nov. 30 on behalf of Caicedo, Chowdhury, and Florida Rising Together, alleging that the suspension violated due process and First Amendment rights.
It sought reinstatement of Worrell as state attorney.
Read: Florida Gov. DeSantis Reinstates Sumter County Commissioner After Conviction Overturned
“Governor DeSantis’ intentional nullification of election results has undermined the fundamental fairness and integrity of the electoral process,” the lawsuit said. “The nature of the injury in this case is egregious. ,,, Governor DeSantis’ actions deprived nearly 400,000 people of their fundamental right to vote and threatens the integrity of the state’s democratic system.”
While dismissing the case, Sneed said the plaintiffs could file an amended complaint within 30 days. DeSantis appointed Andrew Bain, who had served as an Orange County judge, to replace Worrell as state attorney.
Worrell is again running for the position in the November election.
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.