Pennsylvania Republicans strip Philly DA of power to prosecute certain firearm cases

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PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKERS MOVE TO STRIP REFORMIST PROSECUTOR LARRY KRASNER OF AUTHORITY
LAWMAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA have quietly muscled power away from reformist District Attorney Larry Krasner, passing new legislation giving authority to the state’s attorney general to prosecute certain firearms violations in Philadelphia — and nowhere else in the state. The provision will expire in two years, or just after Krasner’s first term ends.

Krasner, one of the most progressive prosecutors currently in elected office, is the only district attorney in the state whose office will be impacted by the change. The bill was passed by the Republican legislature and signed by the Democratic governor before the end of the legislative session late last month, with no public awareness. Even some of the lawmakers who voted for it say they didn’t know what was happening. “I think the vast majority of my colleagues had no idea this was included,” one state House Democratic lawmaker who voted in favor told The Intercept, acknowledging that he, too, didn’t realize the provision had been added.

The maneuver by Pennsylvania lawmakers is the most significant legislative pushback to date against the new movement by criminal justice reformers to focus on seizing the power of the prosecutor, rather than hunkering down as public defenders or lawmakers. One of the key powers of a prosecutor is to decide when to bring charges and, critically, when not to. The new law means that even if Krasner decides to exercise the latter power and not bring charges, the police could go directly to the attorney general to pursue the case regardless.

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