UMVA has learned that a deeply divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court has delivered a groundbreaking ruling that will significantly impact the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat backed by billionaire George Soros.
The 4-3 decision, penned by Justice Kevin Dougherty, found that Krasner's office had engaged in unreliable practices in the case of Levar Brown, a Philadelphia man convicted of murder in 2004 and 2005. The court expressed concerns that Krasner's office had conceded relief in Brown's case without sufficient evidence, withheld material evidence from the court, and submitted false stipulations of fact.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the court ruled that Krasner's office's handling of Brown's case was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a broader pattern of questionable concessions in post-conviction cases. Since 2018, Krasner's office has conceded relief in over 100 cases, mostly murder cases, sparking concerns about the reliability of these concessions.
The ruling requires Philadelphia judges to notify the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and allow the office to intervene before granting relief in cases where Krasner's office concedes that a conviction should be overturned. This new process aims to provide an additional layer of scrutiny and ensure that the interests of victims' families are represented.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday praised the ruling, stating that his office will now be able to serve as a check on the process for Philadelphia residents and victims' families. Sunday emphasized the importance of the adversarial process in achieving justice, saying that "centuries of experience teach that the best way to achieve that justice is through the adversarial process, with vigorous representation for both sides."
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Krasner's office has faced intense criticism for its handling of post-conviction cases, with some arguing that the office has been too quick to concede relief in serious criminal cases. The ruling has sparked a heated debate about the role of prosecutors in seeking justice and the importance of ensuring that convictions are reliable.
Krasner has defended his reform agenda, arguing that the ruling is an anti-democratic move that treats Philadelphia differently from other counties. In a video response, Krasner framed criminal justice reform as part of a broader social justice movement, saying that "reform can be scary to those who need it."
The majority opinion, however, emphasized that the ruling does not strip Krasner's office of prosecutorial discretion, but rather ensures that courts have the benefit of an adversarial process before convictions are overturned. The decision sends Brown's case back to the Pennsylvania post-conviction court for further proceedings and sets a new process for future cases where Krasner's office seeks to concede relief.
