PA Supreme Court Considers Larry Krasner Case

(RepublicanPress.org) – On January 2, 2022, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was sworn into office for a second term. According to the DA’s office, Krasner has a long record of standing up for social justice, defending a myriad of protesters throughout his career — pro bono — and working to preserve civil rights in private practice before accepting his current position. In November 2022, the Republican-led state House of Representatives impeached the prosecutor over his policies.

On November 28, the Associated Press reported that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is considering the matter. The court is looking to decide whether or not the state legislature can proceed with a trial against Krasner in the state Senate and who should decide what constitutes misbehavior in office. The detailed reasoning for his impeachment last year involved his bail policies, how he managed his office, and his alleged failure to prosecute certain minor crimes.

GOP impeachment effort against Philadelphia progressive prosecutor District Attorney Larry Krasner lands before Democratic-majority court https://t.co/JvAgIpgYTZ pic.twitter.com/V6uiOjF5Uc

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 29, 2023

Justice Kevin Brobson questioned why the court should get involved at all, considering the state Senate might not get the two-thirds majority needed to remove Krasner from office. Justice Christine Donohue believes the Supreme Court should define the standards for misbehavior so that it can be applied equally. Once defined, she said, there would be no reason for similar matters to return to the court. A third judge, Justice David Wecht, seemed to agree, stating that the parameters of misbehavior should not be left up to lawmakers. He reasoned that doing so would leave the definition up to the whims and moods of the legislature at a certain point in time.

Meanwhile, Krasner has been fighting the impeachment itself through the courts. The DA does not believe he’s done anything to warrant impeachment. According to the Washington Times, he tried to argue that the impeachment couldn’t span multiple legislative sessions and that the General Assembly didn’t have the authority to remove him. Both arguments were rejected, but Krasner appealed.