MONTGOMERY, Ala. Of all the places Andrew Warren imagined his career would take him, it was never here: the lobby of an upscale chain hotel in downtown Montgomery, huddling with his legal team and preparing for a hearing that maybe within a year if hes lucky will result in him getting his job back.

I didnt ask to be the tip of the spear in this fight for freedom and democracy, Warren said, settling into a tall wingback chair on the morning of May 2, several hours before he was due in a federal appellate court just down the street. But the governor picked a fight with me, so Im fighting on behalf of everyone who cares about these issues.

It has been over nine months since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Warren, accusing the twice-elected Democratic prosecutor for Hillsborough County of incompetence and neglect of duty in a scathing 29-page executive order last August. The Florida Constitution gives the governor the power to remove elected officials in cases of extreme misconduct. But those powers have rarely, if ever, been used in a case like Warrens.

This is something youd expect to see happen in Turkey or North Korea or China. This is not something youd ever expect to see happen in the United States, said Warren, whose general measured demeanor during our interview sometimes gave way to a quiet rage about the whole episode.

The governor is the one who did wrong here, Warren told me, and no one else should have to adjust their behavior to the whims of the dictator.

Frothing with the polite but pointed anger of a clean-cut attorney, Warren described the surreal events of the past year, which has included: Learning of his suspension in the middle of grand jury proceedings for a decades-old cold case. Being escorted from his office with his belongings by armed sheriffs deputies. Watching the governor brag about his suspension on Fox News. Reading about his suspension in the governors book. Hearing about his suspension in the governors stump speeches. Reliving this episode of his life over and over again in court, in interviews, in conversations with friends and strangers. Having his career and life essentially frozen. Receiving death threats against his family because of the bright spotlight that DeSantis put him under.

This has been very difficult for me professionally, said Warren, who is still living with his family in Tampa, because I care so much about the office. Its been very difficult for me politically, because the most powerful Republican in the country is targeting me specifically, as an individual. And its been very difficult for me personally everything from just the huge disruption its had on my life with my family, to getting death threats from people who tell me that my children deserve to die for the things Ive done.