Pennsylvania court curbs Philly DA in 100-plus conviction reversals
What's new: Judges must now alert the state attorney general before granting relief when Larry Krasner's office backs overturning a conviction.
A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court imposed new oversight on Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office after finding its handling of convicted murderer Levar Brown's case was unreliable. In a 4-3 ruling, the court reversed an order that had granted Brown a new trial after prosecutors agreed his conviction should be set aside. The justices also required Philadelphia judges to notify the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and allow it to intervene before granting post-conviction relief in cases where Krasner's office concedes a conviction should be overturned. The majority said the problems in Brown's case included withheld evidence, a false factual stipulation, misstated facts and an inadequate investigation, and said similar concerns appeared in other cases. The opinion said the office has conceded relief well over 100 times since 2018, mostly in murder cases.