‘Very productive': Worrell accepts lawyers sent by Florida AG to clear case backlog
The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office will count on the help of six prosecutors dispatched by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to tackle a backlog of thousands of cases, top prosecutor Monique Worrell announced Tuesday.
The move comes a day after Uthmeier promised the assistance, the latest turn in an imbroglio between him and Worrell over her policy seeking to clear more than 13,000 'nonarrest' cases awaiting review by her office. Worrell blames the caseload problem, which she said spans the administrations of several previous state attorneys, on a lack of funding for her Ninth Circuit Court office, which has long been a stage for political battles waged by Republican governors scrutinizing Democratic state attorneys for what the GOP often calls 'soft on crime' policies.
On Tuesday, Worrell commended Statewide Prosecutor Nick Cox, who was sent by Uthmeier for what she called a 'very productive meeting' where they discussed the mission of the new prosecutors going forward. Still, she said the help with clearing the backlog is but a 'temporary fix,' reiterating comments on Monday that she would need more funding for permanent prosecutors before she can rescind a recently adopted policy on nonarrest cases.
'Temporary and piecemeal approaches have unfortunately not solved the problem,' Worrell said in a Tuesday afternoon statement. 'Now is the time to seek permanent solutions so that we are moving as efficiently as possible to remove violent offenders from the community and deliver justice for victims. We will work with the additional prosecutors for as long as they are made available to our circuit while also continuing to advocate for long-term solutions, including more collaboration with law enforcement so that we have the probable cause necessary for prosecution.'
Worrell had announced two weeks ago that she would no longer accept for review low-level cases where police and sheriff's departments have not at least obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect, as a way of controlling her office's caseload. Uthmeier was sharply critical of that approach, and Worrell responded by requesting help to whittle down the backlog, which the attorney general is now providing.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina, who said the policy puts victims at risk, lauded Worrell's decision to request additional prosecutors to clear the backlog in a press conference with Uthmeier on Monday morning. Uthmeier, however, continued lobbing insults ahead of the state attorney's meeting with Cox on Tuesday in an interview with the conservative outlet News Max, where he called her a 'radical leftist, Soros prosecutor' who 'doesn't want to do her job.'
During the interview, he further dismissed Worrell's concerns about a lack of funding for her office as 'just an excuse.' His office did not respond to a message seeking comment following Worrell's announcement.
'Are you gonna take our help or not?' he asked on News Max. 'If resource constraints are truly the reason why you're not doing your job, then open up the door. Let us in, we're here to help.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
26 minutes ago
- Politico
Hundreds gather to remember slain Minnesota lawmaker and her husband
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Hundreds of people, some clutching candles or carrying flowers to lay in front of a memorial, gathered outside Minnesota's Capitol on Wednesday evening for a vigil to remember a prominent state lawmaker and her husband who were gunned down at their home. As a brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra played, Gov. Tim Walz wiped away tears and comforted attendees at the gathering for former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Walz has described Hortman as his closest political ally and 'the most consequential Speaker in state history.' Wednesday's vigil also included a Native American drum circle, a string quartet and the crowd singing 'Amazing Grace.' The memorial, which sprang up outside the Capitol after the killings, features flowers, American flags, photos of Hortman and sticky notes with such messages as, 'Thank you for always believing in me and in Minnesota' and 'We got this from here. Thank you for everything.' Around the gathering, there was a heavy police presence, with law enforcement blocking off streets leading up to the Capitol and state troopers standing guard. The event didn't have a speaking program planned and attendees were instructed not to bring signs of any kind. The man charged in federal and state court with killing the Hortmans, Vance Boelter, is also accused of shooting another Democratic lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home a few miles away in Champlin. They survived and are recovering. Federal prosecutors have declined to speculate about a motive. Boelter's attorneys have declined to comment on the charges. Hortman had served as the top House Democratic leader since 2017, and six years as speaker, starting in 2019. Under a power-sharing deal after the 2024 election left the House tied, her title became speaker emerita and Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth became speaker. The Hortmans were alumni of the University of Minnesota, which held a midday memorial gathering on the Minneapolis campus. Rebecca Cunningham, the university's president, spoke during the event about the grief and outrage people are grappling with along with questions about how things got to this point. 'I don't have the answers to these questions but I know that finding answers starts with the coming together in community as we are today,' she said. Funeral information for the Hortmans has not been announced.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Families of trans kids worry about what's next after Supreme Court rules on gender-affirming care
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court decision Wednesday upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors is leaving transgender children and their parents uncertain and anxious about the future. The court handed President Donald Trump's administration and Republican-led states a significant victory by effectively protecting them from at least some of the legal challenges against many efforts to repeal safeguards for transgender people. The case stems from a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors. Opponents of gender-affirming care say people who transition when they're young could later regret it. Families of transgender children argue the ban amounts to unlawful sex discrimination and violates the constitutional rights of vulnerable Americans. Eli Givens, who is transgender and testified against Tennessee's gender-affirming care bill in 2023, said it's devastating that lawmakers 'who have called us degenerates, have told us that we're living in fiction' are celebrating the court's ruling. The nonbinary college student from Spring Hill received mastectomy surgery in 2022 at age 17. They said the legislation inspired their advocacy, and they attended the Supreme Court arguments in the case last December, on their 20th birthday. 'We're not making a world that trans youth are welcomed or allowed to be a part of,' Givens said. 'And so, it's just a really scary kind of future we might have.' Jennifer Solomon, who supports parents and families at the LGBTQ+ rights group Equality Florida, called the ruling a decision 'that one day will embarrass the courts.' 'This is a decision that every parent should be concerned about,' she said. 'When politicians are able to make a decision that overrides your ability to medically make decisions for your children, every family should worry.' Conservative activists take credit Chloe Cole, a conservative activist known for speaking about her gender-transition reversal, posted on social media after the court's decision that 'every child in America is now safer.' Matt Walsh, an activist who was one of the early backers of Tennessee's law, applauded the high court. Three years ago, Walsh shared videos on social media of a doctor saying gender-affirming procedures are 'huge moneymakers' for hospitals and a staffer saying anyone with a religious objection should quit. 'This is a truly historic victory and I'm grateful to be a part of it, along with so many others who have fought relentlessly for years,' Walsh posted on social media. Fears of what's next after Supreme Court decision Rosie Emrich is worried the court decision will embolden legislators in New Hampshire, where legislation banning hormone treatments and puberty blockers for children is expected to reach the governor's desk. Lawmakers are weighing whether to block the treatments from minors already receiving them, like Emrich's 9-year-old child. 'It's definitely disappointing, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to talk to my kid about it,' Emrich said. Emrich said she and her husband have considered moving from New Hampshire and are waiting to see what will happen. 'The hard part is, like, I've grown up here, my husband has grown up here, we very much want to raise our family here,' she said. 'And we don't want to leave if we don t have to.' A move across the country and other hurdles Erica Barker and her family moved from Jackson, Mississippi, to North Las Vegas, Nevada, a little over two years ago so one of her children could start receiving gender-affirming care. Barker's transgender daughter, then 12, had been in therapy for three years, and the family agreed it was time for medical treatments. Mississippi passed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors the next year, which Barker said she saw coming. Barker said the move was complicated, involving a new job for her husband and two mortgages when their Mississippi home was slow to sell, but it also brought access to care for her daughter, now 14. 'Our hearts are hurting for folks who are not having the same experience,' Barker said. In another state with a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, Oklahoma resident Erika Dubose said finding care for her 17-year-old nonbinary child, Sydney Gebhardt, involves a four-hour drive to Kansas and getting prescriptions filled in Oregon and mailed to their home. 'I just wish the younger folks wouldn't have to go through this,' Gebhardt said. 'These folks deserve to be focusing on their academics and hanging out with their friends and making memories with their families and planning out a safe and happy future.' Mother says gender-affirming care saves lives Sarah Moskanos, who lives near Milwaukee, said her 14-year-old transgender daughter went through nearly a decade of counseling before she started medical gender-affirming care but has been sure since the age of 4 that she identified as a girl. 'I would say that there is decades of research on this very thing,' she said. 'And we know what works and we know what will save trans kids' lives is gender-affirming care.' Wisconsin doesn't have a gender-affirming care ban, but Moskanos said getting her daughter that care has not been easy. She now worries about what the future holds. 'We are but one election cycle away from disaster for my kid,' she said. Vowing not to disappear Mo Jenkins, a 26-year-old transgender Texas native and legislative staffer at the state Capitol, said she began taking hormone therapy at 16 years old and has been on and off treatment since then. 'My transition was out of survival,' Jenkins said. Texas outlawed gender-affirming care for minors two years ago, and in May, the Legislature passed a bill tightly defining a man and a woman by their sex characteristics. 'I'm not surprised at the ruling. I am disheartened,' Jenkins said. 'Trans people are not going to disappear.' ___ Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press journalists Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Kenya Hunter in Atlanta; Laura Bargfeld in Chicago; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; and Daniel Kozin in Pinecrest, Florida, contributed to this report.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Juneteenth renews call for reparations for African Americans, advocates say
Juneteenth renews call for reparations for African Americans, advocates say Show Caption Hide Caption Could Black Americans get reparations for centuries of slavery? Lawmakers have been trying to pass reparation bills for descendants of slaves. Here's why it's taken so long - and how it might work. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Despite slim chances of passage and against the backdrop of anti-DEI efforts, some congressional Democrats continue to reintroduce reparations legislation that advocates hope will help build momentum and keep the issue in the forefront. 'Each reintroduction keeps the conversation alive, educates the public and signals to communities across the country that their concerns and histories are being recognized at the highest levels of government,'' said Jason Williams, a professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Ahead of Juneteenth, proponents of reparations for African Americans met last week with mostly Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge them to continue the push for federal reparations legislation. 'What better time to introduce policies that are centering repair and truth than at a time when so much disrepair and lies are abundant,'' said Marcus Anthony Hunter, a reparations advocate and a professor of sociology and African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. A wide variety of proposals for slavery reparations have been proposed over the years, including mental health care for African American descendants of slaves, investments in infrastructure in historically marginalized communities, or direct payments. Hunter and other advocates urged support for H.R. 40 recently re-introduced by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, both Democrats. The legislation would create a commission to study reparations and develop proposals. Activists also pushed for the 'Reparations Now Resolution' proposed last month by Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. It would recognize that the country 'has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the crime of enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.' The congressional measures, which have no GOP co-sponsors, stand little chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress. Republican leaders have opposed reparations saying no one alive was responsible for slavery. In March, Rep. Babin Brian, a Republican from Texas, introduced the ''No Bailout for Reparations Act,' which would prohibit the federal government from providing funds to state or local governments that enact laws providing reparations for slavery. More: The US is grappling with its history of slavery. The blueprint for dealing with it? Some say Brown University The renewed push also comes in the wake of efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle federal programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion. 'It is not lost on us that this Juneteenth, the nation is experiencing a profound backsliding on racial equity,'' Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward, a progressive-leaning national social justice organization, said in a statement. In addition to last week's lobbying led by the National Black Justice Collective, a civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, other groups have also held rallies in D.C. Lawmakers also recently hosted a briefing. 'This Juneteenth, the call for reparations grows louder,'' New Yorkers for Reparations, a coalition of grassroots groups, said in a statement Wednesday. 'As cities and states across the country take historic steps toward repair, New York stands at the forefront, affirming that reparations for Black Americans are not only a moral imperative, but a democratic necessity.'' States look to federal reparations bill as lighthouse The late Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, had introduced H.R. 40 for years. It was named after the '40 acres and a mule'' the federal government had promised freed slaves. Across the country some state and local governments have passed reparation bills, including in Evanston, Illinois, New York and California. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore recently vetoed a reparations bill, saying it's not the time for another study and that the state has had related commissions. Advocates said HR 40 has been the blueprint for proposals adopted by local and state governments so it's important to continue the push. 'If we allow that to die on the vine, we're doing a disservice to the national movement because it's the lighthouse,'' Hunter.
