WASHINGTON—Zack Smith, legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, released the following statement Thursday after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the suspension of leftist State Attorney Andrew Warren:

“By suspending State Attorney Andrew Warren, who pledged not to enforce certain duly enacted laws of the state he took an oath to serve, Governor DeSantis has sent a message that local prosecutors who pledge not to do their jobs must and will be held accountable.

 

“Local elected prosecutors do not get to selectively pick and choose which laws to enforce. The people entrust their state legislatures to pass laws, and their local prosecutors to enforce those laws.

 

“Unfortunately, many local rogue prosecutors, backed or inspired by left-leaning billionaires such as George Soros, have taken it upon themselves to undermine this basic concept of self-government —refusing to prosecute many crimes, to seek bail, and to pursue appropriate penalties for crimes.

 

“The results of these policies have been disastrous. Not only do they undermine the rule of law and violate the separation of powers, but they also wreak havoc in their communities where frequently crime rates, particularly violent crime rates, have increased. We need more leaders to follow DeSantis’ lead and to hold these rogue prosecutors accountable.”

Read more about The Heritage Foundation’s work on rogue prosecutors here.