In a groundbreaking decision on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court officially threw out the Articles of Impeachment against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. The ruling is a significant legal victory for Krasner, marking the end of a two-year-long political and legal battle over his role as DA.
Back in December 2022, the Commonwealth Court had already deemed the impeachment Articles unconstitutional, ruling that they failed to prove Krasner had engaged in “misbehavior in office”—a standard required by Pennsylvania’s Constitution. The court found that the charges were largely based on policy disagreements rather than any criminal misconduct. Lawmakers, mostly from outside Philadelphia, had accused Krasner of exercising his prosecutorial discretion in ways they didn’t agree with. But Krasner had been elected on a platform that explicitly promised those exact reforms, which voters in Philadelphia had supported.
In a twist, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court went even further in this latest ruling. It not only agreed with the Commonwealth Court that the impeachment efforts were unfounded, but also revived an argument Krasner had previously made. Krasner had argued that the Articles of Impeachment effectively “died” when the legislative session in which they were drafted ended back in November 2022. The Commonwealth Court had originally dismissed this argument, but now the state’s highest court has validated it.
This decision effectively nullifies the Articles of Impeachment, emphasizing that new legislative sessions cannot pick up unfinished business from previous sessions. The court pointed out that allowing such actions would lead to what it described as “nonsensical results.”
For Krasner, this ruling is a double win, and for the General Assembly, it’s a definitive end to their impeachment effort. Despite the controversy, Krasner remains firmly in his position, continuing his progressive reform agenda in Philadelphia.
