TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — After removing State Attorney Monique Worrell from her post over Orange and Osceola Counties, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Judge Andrew Bain to be her replacement. Bain has subsequently announced his comprehensive 100-day plan in order to “restore order, and restore faith in the law.”
The plan contains a multi-pronged approach that emphasizes “fairness, accountability, transparency, collaboration, and effective prosecution.”
According to the plan, Judge Bain will implement a prosecutorial philosophy prioritizing the “victim first” along with a “focus on swift and just resolutions.”
On Wednesday, when Governor DeSantis revealed the suspension of Worrell and introduced Judge Bain as her replacement, Bain invoked his guiding principles as a jurist:
“For me this is where John Calvin’s second purpose of the law came to life,” Bain said, citing the 16th century French Protestant reformer.
“The second purpose of the law is to put a restraint on evil. The law in and of itself cannot change the human heart. It can, however, serve to protect the righteous from the unjust. Sadly, instead of protecting the righteous from the unjust, the State Attorney’s office has allowed lawlessness to take root in our community.”
“Restoring law and order” is another theme of Bain’s plan which will include reviewing previously dropped cases involving homicide, sex crimes, drug trafficking, and major violent crimes.
“Our prosecutors are responsible for holding criminals accountable for their actions,” Bain said. “It’s a simple thing. Simple job. The legislature told us what our job was in Chapter 27 of our statutes. It’s a very simple job. We are here to prosecute crimes and to hold people accountable.”
Bain is a member of the Federalist Society and has previously served as a Ninth Circuit judge. DeSantis appointed him to the post in 2020 and Bain won his election in 2022. Before that, he served the same circuit as assistant state attorney between 2013 until 2020.
Judge Bain received his law degree from Florida A&M University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami, where he played college football.
