But his efforts to reverse death sentences in years-old
convictions have raised concerns among law enforcement officials and victims’
advocates about whether his office has been transparent with victims’ families.
They also have brought pushback from those who say Krasner is attempting to
impose his agenda by asking courts to undo punishments decided by juries.
In one filing last year, a former ranking Philadelphia
prosecutor now working for the state Attorney General’s Office said letting new
district attorneys invoke “prosecutorial discretion” to overturn past verdicts
and decisions could lead to “chaos” in the courts.
“Each new prosecutor could quickly work to reverse every
legal precedent of predecessors with whom he disagreed,” said the brief from
Ronald Eisenberg, senior appellate counsel in the AG’s Office. “Thousands of
convictions would be in jeopardy every four years; the law would be a seesaw.”
Asked to elaborate on the office’s stance on death-row
appeals, Krasner’s spokesperson Ben Waxman said all post-trial decisions about
whether or not to pursue the death penalty are considered by a committee within
the District Attorney’s Office, which then makes a recommendation.
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