Pennsylvania Supreme Court slams Philadelphia district attorney
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reprimanded Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for repeatedly misleading courts and withholding evidence in multiple cases, including efforts to overturn murder convictions. The court reversed a lower court’s decision to grant a new trial to convicted murderer Lavar Brown, citing Krasner’s office’s dishonesty, untrustworthiness, and pattern of misconduct in similar cases as 2018. The ruling emphasized that prosecutors must act as ministers of justice and acknowledge when relief is warranted by law and facts, which krasner’s office failed to do. The court also ordered the state Attorney General to review future cases where Krasner seeks to reverse convictions, aiming to prevent injustice. This marked an unusual and forceful rebuke of a local prosecutor by a predominantly Democratic state high court, highlighting concerns about the integrity and openness of Krasner’s conduct.Krasner, supported by liberal donors and known for his progressive policies, has faced criticism and even impeachment efforts but remains in office.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court slapped down Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for repeatedly misleading state courts and withholding evidence in various cases in which his office tried to toss out murder convictions, ordering the state attorney general to review any future convictions he seeks to reverse.
The high court in the Keystone State, which features a heavily Democratic bench, issued a forceful opinion Tuesday reversing a lower court’s decision to give convicted murderer Lavar Brown a new trial, finding Krasner’s office’s concession that a new trial was needed was “not reliable.” The state Supreme Court found that Krasner’s office lied to the lower court about facts and previous pleadings, withheld material evidence, opposed efforts by the families of the victims to include the withheld evidence, “failed to conduct a reasonable investigation” of the case, and violated its duty of candor, which requires lawyers to be truthful to courts, when seeking to toss the conviction. The panel also found these infractions were part of a pattern from the progressive Philadelphia district attorney in other bids to toss convictions.
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“When relief is not dictated by the record and law but merely advocated for personal, political, ideological, policy, or other non-legal reasons, a prosecutor’s concession does not minister justice; it facilitates injustice,” the ruling reads.
“Since 2018, the [district attorney’s office] has conceded relief well over 100 times, mostly in murder cases like this one,” the ruling continues. “There have been numerous instances of untrustworthy concessions, lack of candor, misrepresentations of fact, lack of adequate investigation, and avoidance of hearings. And the problems are poised to continue.”
The panel excoriated the conduct of Krasner’s office in the 109-page ruling, not just in the Brown case but also in eight similar cases. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reminded Krasner’s office that “as a minister of justice and not simply an advocate, the DAO must concede relief when the facts and law call for it.” The ruling then took aim at Krasner’s office for apparently not seeing any problems with its conduct in these cases.
“The DAO does not acknowledge any problem or need to reform its practices. As it has in the past when its concessions have been called into question by state and federal courts alike, the DAO has simply ‘doubled down,’ insisting, despite considerable evidence and myriad court findings to the contrary, that there is nothing wrong,” the ruling reads.
“In reality, there have been serious problems with the DAO’s concessions and its conduct, both in this case and a number of others, and the DAO’s steadfast refusal to recognize as much contributes to the likelihood they will continue,” the ruling continues.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered state Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican, to review future cases where Krasner, a liberal Democrat, seeks to toss out a conviction and, if necessary, intervene in the case. The ruling said allowing the state attorney general the chance to intervene will “enhance the reliability of the proceedings and the [lower] court’s ultimate decision” on whether to toss out a conviction.
Sunday responded to the ruling on Tuesday by expressing gratitude to the state high court for allowing his office to “serve as a check on this process for the citizens of Philadelphia and ensure that the interests of victims’ families are represented.”
The forceful rebuke of Krasner from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is an unusual move by a state high court toward a local prosecutor.
“This is unprecedented for a court to say a prosecutor’s office repeatedly misled them, especially in the context of trying to let murderers out of jail,” Abhishek Kambli, a former career federal prosecutor and recently departed Trump Justice Department official, told the Washington Examiner.
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“Also noteworthy is that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is mostly Democrat appointees, so it cannot be characterized as political,” Kambli added. “It also shows the court sees serious problems with that office’s candor and drafted the AG’s office to fix the issue because it no longer trusts the DA’s office.”
Krasner, who was first elected in 2017 and subsequently reelected in 2021 and 2025, is one of the most infamous district attorneys backed by liberal megadonor George Soros. Despite facing widespread criticism of his soft-on-crime policies and an impeachment from the GOP-led state House in 2022, Kranser has remained in office as Philadelphia’s district attorney.
Kaelan Deese contributed to this report.
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