Flashback: Andrew Warren says his court hearing in Warren vs. DeSantis was a "win for truth"

Hillsborough County's suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren — Andrew Warren on WMNF. Zoom screen capture, 20 Sept. 2022.

The case Warren vs. DeSantis goes to trial on November 29, 2022.

In August 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis suspended the elected State Attorney in Hillsborough County, Andrew Warren.

Warren sued DeSantis and there was a hearing Monday, September 19 in Tallahassee.

The next day, Warren spoke on WMNF’s Tuesday Café, with host Seán Kinane. This is an encore presentation of that show.

Monday’s court hearing in Warren vs. DeSantis

Recording was not allowed in the courtroom. Warren was requesting a preliminary injunction to reinstate him to the Hillsborough State Attorney position that DeSantis] removed him from last month. That was denied. Instead, there will be a trial.

Warren said DeSantis is likely to testify

On WMNF’s Tuesday Cafe, Warren said DeSantis is likely to have to testify during the trial.

“Well, the judge talked about the need to have a complete record.
“We were hoping to have the preliminary injunction granted so that I could be back in office right away.
“But as I’ve said from the beginning, this is about so much more than my job. This is about defending democracy and protecting elections.
“And what the judge said is we don’t want to have a preliminary ruling on an incomplete record. He wanted a complete record. And what he talked about throughout the nearly two-hour hearing was hearing from the governor about the reasons why I was suspended. Whether it was politically motivated.
“All of the evidence that went into the who and the how and the why and the what, the governor is going to be expected to come into court and answer those questions. He’s going to have to submit to a deposition. He’s likely going to be a witness in the trial because that’s where the truth is.
“And the public deserves to know the truth about what the governor’s motivations were.”
-Andrew Warren on WMNF’s Tuesday Café

Listen to the full show here:

Watch the interview here:

What Andrew Warren is saying

In a statement released after Monday’s hearing, Warren wrote,

‘Judge Robert Hinkle indicated he is setting the case for a rapid trial.
‘Today is an important day in an important fight for democracy—our democracy,” said Warren, who attended the hearing in federal court. “I’ve spent my career walking into court as a prosecutor, fighting for victims. Today, I went in as a plaintiff, fighting for democracy itself.’
‘We look forward to a trial on the merits. As the judge said, we look forward to the governor having the opportunity to come into court—where facts and truth matter—and try to justify what he did.’