Supporters rally for embattled DA Krasner following Supreme Court decision and accusations of mishandling post-conviction cases

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Community leaders, exonerees, clergy members and criminal justice advocates gathered in West Philadelphia on Wednesday to defend District Attorney Larry Krasner, arguing that recent court rulings and mounting criticism of his office represent an attack on criminal justice reform and the will of Philadelphia voters.

The rally at Salt & Light Church on Chestnut Avenue came days after developments intensified pressure on the three-term district attorney. A sharply divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling placed new oversight on Krasner’s office handling of post-conviction cases, and his office has been accused of mishandling such cases.

“We’re still a republic, aren’t we?” City Councilmember Nicholas O’Rourke said, flanked by dozens of supporters. “We want to make sure that we’re remembering and reminding everybody that in light of the Supreme Court decision, we will not be deterred.”

Last month’s state Supreme Court 4-3 ruling concluded that Krasner’s office had repeatedly mishandled post-conviction proceedings and ordered that future post-conviction relief cases must also be reviewed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. The opinion was written by Justice Kevin Dougherty, a Democrat who won reelection in 2015.

Speakers at the rally held signs, including ones with photos of Dougherty and President Donald Trump that read, “We won’t go back.”

The scrutiny of the DA’s handling of exoneration cases was further compounded by allegations by current and former prosecutors that the office colluded with defense attorneys as it sought to overturn a muder conviction and told them to “protect the office” in litigating an appellate case.

Throughout the event, speakers argued that the Supreme Court’s recent decision disproportionately targets Philadelphia and threatens reforms aimed at correcting wrongful convictions and reducing incarceration.

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, told the assembly the issue undermines the will of local voters.

“The people of Philadelphia have — three times, each time by a larger majority — said we want Larry Krasner,” he said. “We know that Philadelphia is being singled out by the rest of the state, perhaps because we are a Black and brown majority city, as the only city where the DA can be overruled by their [state] attorney general.”

Other speakers included previously incarcerated individuals who credited Krasner’s administration with securing their release after reviewing their convictions, such as Termaine Hicks, who served 19 years in prison before his conviction was vacated in 2020. He described Krasner as someone willing to challenge a broken system.

“Krasner’s doing the right thing,” Hicks said. “He’s letting the right men and women out, those who are wrongfully incarcerated and innocent.”

Eric Riddick, who served three decades incarcerated before being exonerated, said supporters should view the district attorney as representing broader criminal justice reform rather than a single individual.

“Krasner represents an idea that’s in season, called justice,” Riddick said. “Any time that people make ground to bring the idea of justice back in season, injustice is always behind the scenes trying to plan their comeback.”

Other speakers tied the controversy surrounding the district attorney to broader issues of racial justice, policing and incarceration.

Dr. Bill McKinney of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation said the Supreme Court decision reflected a larger pattern of state and federal actions directed at Philadelphia. Therapist Jacqui Johnson argued that justice requires repairing harm rather than focusing solely on punishment.

Yale University student Cayla Waddington said she worries recent developments send discouraging messages to young people while she is trying to encourage her peers to engage in the electoral process.

“I’m noticing it’s getting harder and harder for young people, people my age to … justify the fights,” Waddington said. “When we look at the city’s legacy and it feels like we’re fighting the same battles our grandparents and great-grandparents fought.”

Although Krasner had been listed as an invited speaker, he did not address the rally. His office did not give a reason. Instead, participants framed the event as a community response to what they described as efforts by state courts and political opponents to undermine Philadelphia’s elected prosecutor.

“We are here as a community to say what they’re doing affects us,” O’Rourke said when reporters asked about Krasner’s absence. “This is wrong. The decision that’s come down is impactful and we want to make sure that we’re exercising our personal right to say that we disagree and we’re going to continue to fight.”