Supreme Court rejects Truth and Justice in upholding Monique Worrell’s suspension – Orlando Sentinel

The Florida Supreme Court set a chilling precedent last week when it upheld the suspension of District Attorney Monique Worrell. Six of the court’s seven justices said they knowingly turned a blind eye to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failure to provide legitimate reasons for her dismissal. They ignored evidence that many of the allegations in the governor’s suspension order were based on incomplete or inaccurate information, including some outright lies. They refused to acknowledge that most of his complaints were based on a simple disagreement with Worrell’s law enforcement strategies – the same policies she campaigned on and that earned her 65% of the vote in Orange and Osceola counties.

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The only one who refused was Justice Jorge LaBarga, who in his dissent questioned the fundamental lack of justice in DeSantis’ actions. “The suspension of a duly elected constitutional officer must be viewed as an enormous undertaking that requires clear justification,” he wrote. “At a minimum, the officer in question should be informed of the specific allegations that led to the suspension in order to have an opportunity to mount a meaningful defense.” Worrell has no such opportunity, he said.

But according to the majority opinion, that doesn’t matter. The law doesn’t matter. The facts don’t matter. And voters certainly don’t matter—they’re only worth mentioning in a few footnotes. Instead, the court slavishly bowed to DeSantis: As long as the governor keeps his eye on everything, he can suspend anyone he wants, for any flimsy reason he wants to give—and then replace them with people who sometimes lack the qualifications to perform important jobs.

And no one can stop him.

This is wrong. It must be wrong. And if it is not, Florida voters must make changes to restore justice as the primary goal of Florida’s justice system.

Facts are important

When DeSantis suspended Worrell ten months ago, his decision accused her of dereliction of duty and incompetence. “Worrell’s practices and policies have too often enabled violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct, thereby endangering the innocent civilians of Orange and Osceola counties,” his office said in a press release. The decision went even further: “Worrell has authorized or permitted practices or policies that have systematically enabled violent criminals, drug traffickers, serious juvenile offenders, and pedophiles to avoid incarceration when otherwise warranted under Florida law.”

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But as the Orlando Sentinel took a closer look at those claims, DeSantis’ claims began to fall apart. Many of the cases Worrell was accused of “not” pursuing were actually delayed for reasons beyond the prosecutor’s control — including cases that were dropped because law enforcement didn’t provide enough evidence or cases that were dismissed because police violated suspects’ rights. One common problem: The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office sometimes failed to determine the amount of drugs seized (a key element in drug trafficking cases). The governor and Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez also said that none of those charged with drug trafficking received a sentence that met the state’s mandatory sentences, which was not true.

The Sentinel’s investigation found that of the 74 drug trafficking cases in which DeSantis and Lopez accused Worrell of botching, only 39 ended in reduced charges. And more than half of those 39 cases failed due to circumstances beyond the prosecutor’s control.

Moreover, many of the governor’s attacks relied on Worrell’s promise to refrain from harsh punitive measures, especially against young and nonviolent offenders. That philosophy was well within Worrell’s discretion as prosecutor and clearly resonated with the voters who elected her. Yet the six-member majority refused to consider DeSantis’ argument that those measures represented a “dereliction of duty.”

Lapdog of justice

The court’s reasoning was clear. As long as DeSantis (or another governor) parroted the correct language, any public official eligible for suspension could be removed from public office – the facts didn’t matter until the Florida Senate decided to review the suspension. The Senate has proven to be just as disinterested as the Supreme Court; Worrell’s suspension was not considered in the 2024 session.

This decision has consequences far beyond the fate of any one elected official. It is about destroying Florida’s careful system of checks and balances. It is about supporting a governor who recognizes no limits to his own power and is willing to corrupt the fundamental principles that are supposed to keep this government accountable and fair. It is about depriving voters of the ability to make rational decisions about candidates for public office and depriving them of the right to respect for their choices.

It’s simply a case of right versus wrong. With six of the seven Florida Supreme Court justices on the wrong side, heaven help us until November, when Floridians can help themselves at the ballot box. Two of DeSantis’ handpicked justices (Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso) will face re-election on merit. In the meantime, every candidate for the state legislature should be asked whether they support Florida’s errant governor — and what changes are needed to protect the judiciary going forward.

The Orlando Sentinel’s editorial staff includes Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Managing Editor Julie Anderson and Viewpoint Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at [email protected]