PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As part of the state’s budget deal between the governor and legislators, Philadelphia’s District Attorney has been stripped of some of his prosecutorial authority.
Senate Bill 140, now known as Act 40 after being signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday, empowers the Attorney General’s Office to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes that occur on SEPTA property through 2026 — a date that coincides with the end of District Attorney Larry Krasner’s term.
Krasner says the new law is an attempt to bypass the elector power of Philadelphians.
“In only one county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the biggest city, the most diverse city, the one that is overwhelmingly Democratic votes …. a Republican-lead measure has just erased 155,102 votes for the current DA,” Krasner said, “and the idea is to replace that person's authority with the authority of an appointed individual who may not even be a Philadelphian, who may not at all meet with the requirements of these voters.”
The bill was sponsored by state Senator Wayne Langerhole, a Republican from Cambria County, which is about halfway between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. SEPTA services cover Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.
The Attorney General’s Office says they are reviewing the new legislation to “fully understand the parameters of the jurisdictional complexities,” as well as the Attorney General’s responsibilities and funding sources.
This is not the first attempt to curb prosecutorial power of the city’s District Attorney. In 2019, a bill was passed to empower the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute gun crimes in the city. Shapiro, then-Attorney General, did not act on that bill.